


Supernatural Rewrite: Season Six.

by huntertales



Series: Supernatural Rewrite. [6]
Category: Supernatural
Genre: F/M, Reader Insert, Soulless!Sam, Unrequited Love, supernatural rewrite
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-30
Updated: 2018-06-29
Packaged: 2019-01-07 08:01:02
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 17
Words: 368,170
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12228825
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/huntertales/pseuds/huntertales





	1. Exile on Main Street

“I know you don’t want to do this anymore. And that’s okay. I’ve known for a while. Go to Lisa, Dean. Make yourself happy. Give yourself a family that deserves you. Leave this all behind and don’t look back. Promise me.”

Dean Winchester woke up one minute before the alarm went off. He had the nightmare again. The one where it brought him back to the fateful day in the cemetery just outside of the town that he had called home for just a few years. All before the chaos started, sending him down a spiraling path that seemed like it wasn’t ever going to end. Or if it did by some lucky chance, he knew there was no way in hell it was going to end with a happily after after. The result would be nothing more than bloody and full of heartache. And it was.

The reoccurring nightmare that he had after retiring to bed last night was the aftermath of seeing his brother take the swan dive to the fiery pits of hell to have a permanent staycation with Michael and Lucifer. You had tried to save the day by doing a trick they’d seen before only once. You thought it’d work. If you wanted to take down Lucifer for a few minutes to get the rings and save the day, you stabbed yourself with the demon knife, thinking that it could have worked. If it did, Dean wouldn’t have had your last words still buzzing around in his head.

Maybe if they had the colt. Maybe if Sam didn’t say yes. Dean thought about every possibility over the past year to see how he could have saved you. What he could have done to have the woman sleeping in the opposite side of the bed next to him to be you.

Dean wanted things to be different. He wanted to keep all the promises he made to you while trying his damndest to keep your stab wound from gushing more blood. He wanted to start a family of his own. He wanted to move to a someplace where nobody knew him and start over. He wanted to do all of this with you. But he made a promise that he swore to keep not to do anything stupid to bring you or his brother back from the dead. And he did. Not that it stopped him from he spent a few months glued to the computer or searching every single book he could find to break someone out of hell. The only thing that he hadn’t done was sell his soul. Dean made a promise to you and his brother. And he wasn’t going to break it.

You and Sam wanted him to have the happy, apple pie kind of life. And the both of you agreed on a woman that Dean had spent one weekend with that he claimed to have been the best time of his life. (Until he got with you, of course.) But couldn’t get out the woman of his head when he noticed her family had an extra member that he thought for a split second was his. Even though Ben wasn’t his biological son, there was no denying the kid was too much like him after he spent the afternoon at his eighth birthday party. This situation that had unfolded over the past year after saving the world from ending wasn’t one that Dean would have expected, but it was better than anything he could imagine. For the first time in a very long time, Dean Winchester was happy. Quiet life, happy life.

Still…there were moments in his normal life the past he tried to bury would creep up on him without warning. A whiff of a scent or something that Lisa would say in which he had to stop for a moment and remind himself that you weren’t her. Sometimes he’d think that he saw you from the corner of his eye when talking to a friend. When he tried to help Ben with his homework and couldn’t understand a single question, Dean reached for his phone, thinking Sam would know an answer for this. But he couldn’t spot you in a crowd or talk to his brother. Because the both of you were in the cage. Damned for eternal misery. Dean could feel his grip around the comforter tighten as his mind wandered back to the last moment he had shared with you. He could feel your lips against his when you took your final breath, or how your hand loosened its grip on his jacket making him open his eyes to see that yours had already closed.

They say time healed all wounds. Dean was still waiting for that to be true.

The shrilling sound of the alarm clock made Dean jump slightly from his concentration on the ceiling as the radio began to play some tune he heard last week. He felt a soft and small hand place itself on top of his own, making him look at the woman and her warm smile that he was lucky enough to be greeted with every morning over the past year.

Lisa Braden was a saint. She had welcomed him inside her home after he showed up out of the blue one night. He gave no prior warning or even a phone call to announce his unexpected arrival that even took her a bit by surprise. But she didn’t push him away when he looked at her with a crooked smile and eyes full of sadness. Lisa was prepared for anything that Dean would end up putting her through over the first few months. It was like she was waiting for him, ready for whatever kind of comfort he might need. She was everything that he remembered from the weekend. And so much better than he could have imagined after meeting her again two years ago. She was the perfect woman he needed to share a normal life.

Lisa squeezed his hand as she gave him a comforting smile, asking him if he was all right after she noticed a discomforted look on his face that she’d seen plenty of times before. Dean smiled and nodded his head. She leaned over and softly kissed his hand. But the sweet moment the two of them shared only lasted a moment before she slipped out of bed to get ready for the day.

Dean usually got himself out of bed after she did and headed downstairs to make the pot of coffee while Lisa went to take a shower and fixed her a cup that be waiting for her. Two sugars and a dash of milk. too much and she didn’t…Dean stopped himself as he let out a sigh. That’s not how Lisa liked her coffee. He pushed himself up to a sitting position when he heard the water start to run from the bathroom. He slipped a hand underneath the pillow and pulled out a glossy picture that he kept hidden inside the pillow case. Dean’s thumb ran over the smiling face that greeted him every morning for the past year. Today was no different.

The photograph that he kept hidden was of a moment of time from another life that he no longer lived with people that no longer were alive. It was of you and him. When you had started dating and hadn’t even said “I love you” yet. Back when an angel named Castiel was a stranger and his brother was still alive. You sat on his lap with your arms wrapped around his neck with your lips stretched into a toothy grin, pure happiness in your eyes. You were probably laughing at something that he’d said one afternoon while you sat at Bobby’s desk in the library. Dean stared at you with like he was the luckiest guy in the world. He landed the chick that’d longed for years. And here she sat on his lap, looking beautiful as ever. That’s what he thought whenever he looked at the picture. And how angry he got after seeing the flash come from the camera that Sam had been holding while hiding between the sliding doors that lead to the kitchen. It was the only thing from his past which he kept close and hidden from anyone.

Lisa washed the sheets twice a week on a Tuesday, that’s when she got off early from work and did the deep cleaning. Maybe she knew about the photograph that he kept a secret. If she did, she never said anything about it. She never made a remark about his drinking, the nightmares, or the fact that he showed up on her doorstep just a few days after burying you. Lisa opened her arms and home to him, giving him everything that he wanted that you never could. A happy, apple pie life with a kid. What more could he ask for? Dean tucked back the photograph and got ready for the day ahead of him.

Dean usually got himself out of bed after she did and headed downstairs to make the pot of coffee while Lisa went to take a shower and fixed her a cup that be waiting for her. Two sugars and a dash of milk. too much and she didn’t…Dean stopped himself as he let out a sigh. That’s not how Lisa liked her coffee. He pushed himself up to a sitting position when he heard the water start to run from the bathroom. He slipped a hand underneath the pillow and pulled out a glossy picture that he kept hidden inside the pillow case. Dean’s thumb ran over the smiling face that greeted him every morning for the past year. Today was no different.

The photograph that he kept hidden was of a moment of time from another life that he no longer lived with people that no longer were alive. It was of you and him. When you had started dating and hadn’t even said “I love you” yet. Back when an angel named Castiel was a stranger and his brother was still alive. You sat on his lap with your arms wrapped around his neck with your lips stretched into a toothy grin, pure happiness in your eyes. You were probably laughing at something that he’d said one afternoon while you sat at Bobby’s desk in the library. Dean stared at you with like he was the luckiest guy in the world. He landed the chick that’d longed for years. And here she sat on his lap, looking beautiful as ever. That’s what he thought whenever he looked at the picture. And how angry he got after seeing the flash come from the camera that Sam had been holding while hiding between the sliding doors that lead to the kitchen. It was the only thing from his past which he kept close and hidden from anyone.

Lisa washed the sheets twice a week on a Tuesday, that’s when she got off early from work and did the deep cleaning. Maybe she knew about the photograph that he kept a secret. If she did, she never said anything about it. She never made a remark about his drinking, the nightmares, or the fact that he showed up on her doorstep just a few days after burying you. Lisa opened her arms and home to him, giving him everything that he wanted that you never could. A happy, apple pie life with a kid. What more could he ask for? Dean tucked back the photograph and got ready for the day ahead of him.

\+ + +

Dean’s morning started off like any normal routine; make breakfast for Ben, today it was scrambled eggs. He reached up to the top cabinet above the stove to grab the salt and sprinkled just enough the way that Ben liked before serving—and dodge the ever late Lisa as she grabbed her cup of coffee that was awaiting for her. Black with one sugar, the way that she liked it. Then there was heading off to work at construction with the pale yellow truck with a rattle sound that was making him grow suspicious about the engine. It resulted with an afternoon during the weekend spent with Ben, enjoying some quality time as he taught the kid about how to fix a problem that was typical with older cars. Then Sunday was spent at a barbeque with the neighbors, enjoying some beers and burgers, talking about the game last night.

All of these were things that Dean never had before. Mostly when he grabbed the salt it was for burning a corpse. When he had to work on some old engine it was the Impala, and the only person who would listen was Sam. You tried a few times only before you rolled your eyes and mumbled something about leaving it to you, boys. Exactly how Lisa does when she checks up on them with a smile on her face, over the moon to see her child and Dean getting along. And when Dean got the chance to kick back with a cold one, it was always from the navy green cooler with a cheap beer that was lukewarm and a little bit stale. But that was a life lived with two people that were alive once upon a time. This was his new chapter of his life. And he’d be a damned fool to let himself think about what was before when he had something better than loneliness of the open road to call his own in this home.

Just like the morning, Dean had a routine that he had grown used to when night fell. Lisa retired to bed just an hour ago, leaving him alone to enjoy the news for a bit while drinking some fancy scotch her sister got for them for Christmas. Dean looked out to the nighttime sight of the front lawn and took a sweep of the quiet road to see the same cars in the driveway and most porch lights already off, except for the Jefferson’s. Dean winced at the arguement that would be waiting for the family. The still on porchlight meant that their teenage daughter Amy wasn’t home yet from the party they didn’t want her to go to tonight.

He pulled back the curtains and moved over to the front door, locking the deadbolt and made sure the door was tightly secure. He moved to the porch that Lisa used this afternoon. He picked out of the blinds to see that the backyard was quiet and peaceful. Except for the lawn. It looked like it could use a good mowing. Dean made a mental note to do that tomorrow. As he took a final sip of his drink and began walking over to the kitchen sink so he could place the empty glass in and leave it for tomorrow, Dean looked out the window much thought to see the neighbor’s lights were still on. Dean didn’t think much about it as he reached to flick the light switch off. He looked out the window one last time, but the sight of it made him stop dead in his tracks

Dean could feel his skin break out into goosebumps at the sight that made him do a double take. He let out a sigh to see that it was his neighbor Sid, enjoying a glass of wine with his wife before they retired to bed themselves. The Winchester shook his head as he reached out to turn off the kitchen light, trying to forget the sight of you sitting at that table with a smile on your face.

Dean headed upstairs and quietly peeked inside Ben’s room to see the kid was passed out. The man smiled to himself at the sight before he shut the door behind him, finally taking the last step of his nightly routine. Dean made his way to the master bedroom where his girlfriend was waiting for him. Lisa was a light sleeper, but she always waited for him until he came to bed with her to finally fall asleep.Dean slipped himself underneath the covers and draped his arms over her shoulders, Lisa rested herself into the crook of his neck as she laid her arm over his chest. The both of them got comfortable before finally settling down for the night to do it all over again tomorrow.

Dean let his arm fall off the bed and hang off the edge of the bed, making sure his loaded shotgun full of salt rounds and mason car full of holy water was always near. Every night for the past year he didn’t need it. But he could never be too safe.

He never knew what was lurking out there in the shadows. Maybe it was a monster waiting to kill him, or an old face that the man thought he’d never get the chance to see again. The face that he’d greet tomorrow morning that he kept in the pillowcase before moving it to the glove compartment next Tuesday when Lisa washed the sheets. Little did he know the face that he was greeted with every morning was much closer than he would ever know that came out every few months to watch his nightly routine. Watching him tuck the curtains and turn off the lights made you feel a little bit better at what kind of life he chose. It was better than any sort of normal life you could have given him.

\+ + +

You were slipping…slipping into the never ending darkness. You outstretched out arm and begged for him to grab your hand to help you. And he did. But his mistake of helping you caused him to slip forward into the void. Both of began to free fall into the pit that seemed to have no end. You could feel the scream that had been building in your throat about to come loose as your body felt weightless in the air as his brother’s face began to become smaller and smaller. You opened your mouth to call out his name one more time—

You could feel yourself inhaling a deep breath as your eyelids ripped open, an overwhelming feeling like you were falling caused you to break away from the dream you were having again. The cotton sheets clung to your backside when a thin layer of sweat broke out into your skin from the overwhelming nightmare that felt real. You took in steady deep breaths as you stared at the ceiling, giving yourself a few seconds to realize that you were awake. You laid there for a moment as you placed a hand on your head, trying to collect your scattered thoughts as your heart pounded roughly against your ribcage. You pushed back some of your matted hair that stuck to your forehead from how much you had reacted. Nightmare…it was just a nightmare. The sounds of running water caused you to break your concentration on a crack in the wall and moved your head to the closed door, figuring out that’s where the noise was coming from. 

The paranoia and fear that you had felt just seconds ago began to come creeping back as you examined the tacky interior of the room and faded wallpaper. You began to wonder for a second of where the hell you were. But the sight of scattered clothes across the floor and duffel bags sitting next to the door made you realize what was going on and where you went last night after taking up the offer from Gwen to have another beer. You slowly pushed yourself to a sitting position and slipped out of bed, grabbing the familiar looking flannel shirt from the ground and slipped it over your barley naked body, just in time for the shower to turn off. 

You stretched out your arms over your head and walked over to the dresser where you spotted a few of your persona items you took off last night before retiring to bed. You reached out to grab the necklace and put it on for a moment, your fingers clutched the amulet tight as you stared at yourself in the mirror for a moment. The bathroom door opened a moment later to see him fresh out the shower, dressed in nothing more than a towel wrapped around his waist. You locked eyes with his reflection in the mirror when you felt his hands wrap around your hips, his fingers reaching for the buttons of the shirt that went missing off the floor.

Your eyes fluttered shut when you felt his hand softly brush away a few loose strands of hair so he could press a tender kiss to the crook of your neck as he whispered good morning in your ear. You inhaled a deep breath to get a good whiff of his body wash, making things feel more natural as you lead yourself for a second to believe the man holding you is someone else. Sort of like how you have over the past year. And for a second it makes you feel a little less guilty as your eyes slowly opened up once again to meet the reflection in the mirror of a smiling Sam.

The calm demeanor you were greeted with on this sunny morning was far different from the man you had witnessed in action last night while hunting down a coven of witches on the outskirts of town. Your lips stretched into a small smile when you stepped away from him, quickly tucking the necklace so it was hidden as you began to make your way to the shower. Neither one of you discussed the matters that went on last night. The topic of conversation was the call that Sam got early this morning from his grandfather about another possible hunt not too far from here after Samuel got a whiff of a possible djinn crawling around. 

You mentioned that you wouldn’t take too long to get ready and make a playful remark that you hoped he left you some hot water. You stopped in the doorway, expecting the man to look over at you and give you a smirk, saying something that you shouldn’t have snoozed. Instead he ignored you by giving a shrug as he got himself ready for the day ahead for the both of you.

You didn’t know what you were expecting from this kind of behavior that had been going on over the past year since coming back from the cage. You stepped into the bathroom and shut the door behind you, giving you some privacy. You walked over to the mirror and wiped away the fog, making you stare at your lonesome reflection, who now looked sad and full of guilt for what you did last night again. Both of you had gotten exactly what you wanted. But you felt like crap for launching yourself at him when the feeling hit you. He was always kind, knew the right words to say to make you feel better. But he wasn’t Dean. Not that it mattered to you that night when you saw the man sitting in the kitchen with Lisa and Ben, happy. More happy than you’d ever seen him in your entire life.

Sam was right. You couldn’t have walked up to the front door and told him the good news that you were alive. All though you wanted to live your life again like how you talked about, it wasn’t right. Dean was trying to move on without you. He got out. It’d be selfish of you to take that away from him for a chance that might never come. Not Not that you contemplated each time you drove and watched him do his nightly routine before retiring to bed with Lisa. You went back to whatever motel you were crashing at to crawl into bed with Sam, continuing on the ritual that you swore would have stopped after the first time. It was out of a moment of weakness, you took the younger Winchester’s kindness and comforting to a whole other level that you would have never expected. But he was acting so much like Dean. One thing lead to another…

You did something you regretted instantly the next morning when the memories came flooding back. You told yourself you were never going to do it again. You were never going to see Dean, you were never going to do this. But you did. The morning after, like today, you would stare at your reflection in the mirror and come to terms with the guilt at what you had done. You felt horrible for using Sam the way you have to fill the void in your heart for someone you could never have again. And each morning you would take a vow to never do it again. You were never going to stoop so low and do something like that. Like how you have been saying for the past year…and still, you knew you were never going to change. Not yet, at least.

They say time heals all wounds. You were still waiting for that to be true.

\+ + +

“And thank God this is before Facebook, right? Because it’d be me and that goat…all over the internet.”

A soft chuckle escaped Dean’s mouth at hearing an embarrassing story about his neighbor Sid’s college experience that involved stealing a goat mascot and a night of drinking which resulted in some pictures he’d found while cleaning the garage one afternoon. He’d gotten annoyed of hearing his wife nag him for months about doing the task, so he did it. And stumbled upon a gold mine of old memories from his past that that made for a funny conversation.

Both men enjoyed their routine they had once started after Dean got himself nestled in the Braden household. What turned into a friendly welcome to the neighborhood had turned into a weekly thing. Sid bought the beer, Dean gave the man an excuse to spend some quality time away from his loving wife. Dean’s eyes wandered away from the warm scenery of the bar and to the ring on the man’s finger. It never quite dawned on him that might be him a few down the road. Things had been going well with Lisa, perhaps he should start talking about marriage. It seemed like the normal kind of thing to do. It wasn’t like he was planning on leaving anytime soon. And Lisa had put up so much with him.

“Don’t get me wrong, right? No complaints. But if you’d have said to me, ‘Hey, you—fifteen years from now? Suburbia.’” Sid said, another chuckle coming out at how his life had turned out from his years prior. He was a happily married man, but if Dean got him drunk enough, the times of what was once before would start coming out. Dean agreed with the man on all levels as he took another sip of his beer. If someone told him a year and half ago he’d be in a place like this with a kid and girlfriend at home, the man would probably laugh and continue on with whatever sort of stupid plan he had in mind to stop the end of the world. But things change for the better. Or so he told himself. “So, you’ve traveled around a lot, huh?”

“Yeah, my whole life, pretty much.” Dean answered the man’s question, leaving it up to the vague response. The Winchester didn’t talk about much of himself, just giving the right amount of information to noisy neighbors and Lisa’s sister. Who gave him the third degree when the both of them were introduced. But he won her over quickly after seeing how he was with Ben and treated Lisa. Mostly everyone liked the mysterious and charming personality Dean played, but he’d mostly been in contact with housewives friends of Lisa’s, their husbands could have given a crap less of who Dean was. Some were bummed a woman like Lisa was taken off the market, but there were a few that were genuinely curious to find out who Dean really was. Sid raised his brow as he stared at the man, hoping he would elaborate more. “I don’t know.”

“Come on. You—What, you moved in, what, about a year ago?” Sid asked, trying to remember exactly the time the man came rolling in with the classic car that he’d never seen before. The Impala happened to have been the first conversation the two men shared, and everything sort of had take on a life of its own from there. Dean shrugged his shoulders and agreed with the time frame, taking yet another sip of his beer. “So I been buying you a beer for a year. And I think that means you owe me a couple of gory details.”

“Oh, no. There’s not much to tell, you know? It’s uh…I lived on the road, took, uh, crap jobs that nobody else wanted.” Dean said. There was always some truth to what he told people. Most of the information didn’t strike many people as interesting. However, Sid nodded his head, urging the man to continue on. “Like…pest control.”

“Really?” Sid wondered. “Pest control?”

“Yeah. You get to work with a partner. Luckily I got two. My little brother and…a really good friend of ours. We got to help people. And you have no idea what’s in some people’s walls. It could eat ‘em alive. You could say it was like a family business. Our dad left it to us. Thought it’d be only fair to keep it going.” Dean said, giving more detail to the story than he planned. Sid listened to what the man said with curiosity, and, of course, winced at the people eating part. His mind had pictured terrifying bugs. The Winchester, however, was talking about nasty things like rougarus and ghouls. “'Course, that was then. And now…”

“You’re practically respectable.” Sid remarked as he grabbed his half-empty beer and pointed his index finger at the man. Dean scoffed and looked down at the table for a moment. A small silence crossed the both of them as they finished their drinks and the conversation began to die, signaling the night was about to wrap up. Dean reached out a hand to finish his own drink. Before the neck of the bottle could touch his mouth, the man found his gaze lingering back over to Sid when he was asked a question that he should have been prepared for after letting some information that he shouldn’t have slip. “So, what happened?”

Dean furrowed his brow slightly, unsure of what the man was asking. “What?”

“What happened to your brother and friend? You’ve never mentioned them before. Hell,” Sid leaned back in his seat as he narrowed his eyes on the man. It was the type of expression that was more out of wonder for what kind of other things Dean wouldn’t tell him. “You’re like a riddle, wrapped in a mystery, inside an enigma. You don’t like talking about yourself, huh?”

“I really don’t like to focus on the past. What’s the point if you can’t change it?” Dean muttered underneath his breath, swallowing down the lump in his throat that he could start to settle. Sid nodded his head slowly in agreement, knowing there was something in the man’s eyes that was painful and far too personal to tell. But Dean, however, decided to be kind and satisfy the man’s curiosity to keep him from asking again. “They passed away about a year ago. Car accident.”

“Oh.” Sid’s face fell in surprise at what he heard, not knowing that it was far from the truth. He suddenly felt guilty at prying into such a touchy subject. "I’m sorry for asking, man.”

Dean shrugged his shoulders at the circumstances that he was dealt with and took another sip of his drink. Things happen, and he couldn’t go back. While he lost two people, he gained a whole other life that was like a dream come true. Sid was a bit of a boring character, but he grown to enjoy the man’s company, he could even see a bit of Sam in him. The man placed his bar down on the table just as the waitress that had been helping them all night walked over to place down the bill. She was young and pretty, with a smile that was mesmerizing. She gave Sid a smile as she placed her hand on Dean’s forearm, letting her fingers graze across his skin before walking away to tend to her other table.

If it was four years ago, Dean might have tried something. Instead he ignored her attempts at flirting as he gave her a smile and grabbed the receipt from the table. “I think she likes you.” Sid remarked, his eyes watching as she walked away, enjoying the sight of her uniform of a tank top and Daisy Duke shorts. He was married, but it didn’t mean he was going to stop himself from enjoying a view. The man looked over at the bill to see how much it come to, but his eyes wandered to the phone number that was scribbled down with a smiley face and the waitress’ number. However, Sid knew it wasn’t for him. “What is it with you?! Like, every time!”

“It’s like chicks specifically dig unavailable guys.” Dean said, shrugging his shoulders at the young woman’s attempt at getting something that had been off the market for quite a while now. He ripped up the receipt into tiny pieces and stuffed it into the beer bottle. “Who knew.”

The night wrapped up shortly after Sid finished his beer and got a text from his wife, who began to wonder what time he was going to be home. Dean followed behind as the both men exited the bar and headed into the quiet town streets to see that not many people were around for a Friday night. Saying their usual goodbyes, Dean headed to his pickup truck as Sid made his way across the street to his prius. As he pulled the keys out from his pocket to unlock the door, Dean felt his blood stop cold when he heard a noise that sounded like a woman’s scream.

Dean could feel the hair on his neck stand up as the sound echoed through his ears, making his heart beat pound just slightly faster in his chest. Like how any normal human being would have reacted to the noise. However, the man found his reaction lingering far beyond normal when he unlocked the truck and didn’t drive away, pretending that he heard nothing. He reached inside the glove compartment and pulled out something he hadn’t touched in a very long time. Tucking it away into the safety of his jacket, Dean grabbed a flashlight and headed into the building that was abandoned by any construction workers at this time of night. Call it a bad habit, Dean called it caution, thinking it couldn’t hurt to take a sweep of the place. Just in case.

Dean stepped inside the building and walked around until he found a staircase that lead upwards. While downstairs seemed quiet, the man’s head snapped forward when he heard a thump coming from upstairs followed by the shuffling of feet. Maybe it was a bunch of teenagers poking around someplace they shouldn’t have been…Maybe it was a monster about to attack some innocent woman. Dean’s grip around the flashlight tightened as he descended up the staircase and heard the noises only continue. As he began to make his way to the plastic tarp that covered another part of the hallway that appeared to be under construction, shuffles of feet could he heard coming from just down the hall again, making Dean stop dead in his tracks and turn around, wondering if there was someone behind him.

But he was alone. Dean quickly looked over at the tarp again when the plastic began to rustle, making him wonder if someone was trying to play some sort of trick on him. The quiet breeze could be blamed. But the man wasn’t going to take any chance. Drawing his gun back up, Dean made his way forward, prepared for anything that might come out at him. He quickly pushed back the tarp and quickly got ready to aim, but there was nobody there, except for another long hallway. Dean didn’t put his guard down as he took a step forward. But a noise coming from behind made him look over his shoulder, before looking back in front of him when the noise jumped to the front of him. The man stopped for a moment, not sure what to do. Moments like this…he would have done anything for some backup. But he was alone.

Dean couldn’t just leave yet. He decided to explore around the place a bit before deciding to call it quits. The man continued on his journey down yet another hallway to a tattered looking tarp. One more look, he reasoned with himself. He made it this far. There was no turning back now. He took a step forward to the tarp and quickly pushed it out of his way, prepared for whatever that might try to make a move, but what he came in contact with was something that caught him off guard.

The man felt himself stumbling backwards when he came into contact with a pigeon. The stupid bird startled him when it went flying directly into his face before moving its direction somewhere else. Dean composed himself and tried to brush off the incident that lead him here to just a damn animal that brought him here. But he couldn’t leave just yet. One more level of this place and then Dean would leave this place and pretend that this night never happened.

He made his way to the third and final level of the building. and looked down at every hallway and plastic tarp to see the place had grow eerily quiet. Dean stood at the staircase, unsure of how he should have felt about his findings. Maybe it was his mind playing tricks on him again after a familiar pair of names were brought up. Or maybe there was something going on here. Dean happened to move his flashlight around at the perfect spot to see something that seemed like it wasn’t left by the construction crew. His hand reached out and touched the four scratch marks on the wall, it would have taken an idiot not to realize that it was human. And the bloody handprint just around the corner made Dean realize something was going on here. 

\+ + +

“And no one’s called about a missing person? No, this would have been today.” Dean returned home an hour after he promised and pretended like nothing happened. He blamed his absence by saying that him and Sid got talking about old times, time slipped by. Lisa didn’t seem all too worried as she smiled at him, happy that he had a good boys night out like always. The evening went on like normal. Dean enjoyed his usual glass of scotch, but instead of watching the news, he sat in the den, talking to a local officer about what he’d seen tonight with a few browsers open on the computer to try and satisfy this hunch that wouldn’t leave him. “So no reports of anything around Wineland and Oak street, near that hotel renovation? Uh, call it a hunch. I’ve been a cop a long time.”

Dean leaned back in the computer seat as he grabbed his glass to take a drink, becoming a little bit frustrated at the lack of findings that he was having. He wasn’t a stranger to research. But he always left it to you and his little brother. Both of you could find just about anything. Dean looked away from the computer screen when he heard footsteps treading across the hallway. Lisa wandered downstairs from the bedroom. She gave him a smile as she wrapped her light blue robe over her body, curious to see what was going on here. Dean quickly clicked out of all the tabs and wrapped up the call, pretending to act like he was getting off with a friend.

“Who was that?” Lisa wondered as she leaned herself against the doorframe.

“Sid. I’m just setting up a poker game.” Dean answered, reaching for his glass again. He hated lying to her, but it was partially the truth. They had talked about setting up a game with a few of Sid’s friends after Dean mentioned that he had played a bit in the past. Lisa narrowed her eyes on the man as she gave him a bit of a smirk, making a remark that it was eleven thirty at night, way past their usual bedtime. Dean pretended to be shocked at the news as he looked down at the clock on the computer’s taskbar. “Is it really? Well, that explains why he was asleep when I called. I’ll be right up.”

Lisa gave the man a bit of a worried look for a moment from how the way he was acting before she slowly nodded her head, agreeing with the plan. He watched as she headed back upstairs and went back to bed, waiting for him there. Dean finished his drink and continued on with his nightly routine like normal. Except for this time when he looked out the windows, he cautiously eyed the dark and quiet streets, as if he was waiting for an unfamiliar face to pop out from one of the manicured bushes. But nobody was there. Dean’s final step for the night was locking the front door. And making sure the devil’s trap he painted on the hardwood floors one afternoon while Lisa and Ben were out was still in tact. Dean let out a sigh and dropped the mat back to the floor, making sure it was covered, not only for caution, but for Lisa not to find out what he’d done to her new floors.

\+ + +

The next morning arrived and came like normal. Dean tried to pretend what happened last night as if it never happened as he went on his way to work, driving down the same road that he had been for the past several months. As he slowed down to a stop, Dean tapped his thumb against the steering wheel, trying to kill some time as a car passed him by. He watched as they descended down the road, giving him the right away to continue on like normal. But before his foot shifted off the breaks and to the gas pedal, Dean found his gaze lingering on a tree. It would have been any other one that he’d seen a million times before. Yet, there was something about it that brought him back to the night before, the scratch marks.

Dean should have ignored it. There was nothing strange going on in town, there was no logical explanation for what he saw in the hotel or the bloody handprint. He was out. If there really was something going on, he could have called up one of his old hunting buddies and have them check it out. But…it wouldn’t have hurt to take a quick look. If he was a few minutes late to work, so be it. Dean knew there was no way he could let his mind rest until he figured out what the hell was going on here.

Stepping out of the car, Dean prepared himself by grabbing his gun again, but making sure to keep it tucked in the back of his jeans. He inhaled a deep breath as he took a moment to inspect the scratch marks that had been dug deep into the wood, making him realize that a human couldn’t have done this. Dean noticed that the way lead him to a quiet house with nobody around or a car in the driveway. He decided to check out the property, knowing it couldn’t hurt. If someone happen to catch him, the man was good at thinking up a lie quick on his feet. Dean headed into the yard, noticing that someone was making use of this sunny morning with their lawn out to dry in the sunshine. But what had Dean furrowing his brow was at the bed sheets that blew in the wind, with four rips in the sheets like looked an awful like the ones he’d been seeing around town.

Dean pushed the sheet out of the way and continued on walking further onto the property to see what else he could inspect. While nothing seemed out of the ordinary, Dean noticed a shed just up on the way, and again, he spotted those four claw marks on the door. Along with a strange rattling that came from inside. Dean stopped dead in his tracks, unsure of what could have made the noise. Out of caution, he pulled out his weapon, getting himself prepared for whatever was hiding behind the door. There was no way that son of a bitch was getting from him again. Dean could hear the sounds of what seemed like a dog snorting, making him wonder the worst, but it explained the scratch marks. He inhaled a deep breath as he reached out his hand to open the door, preparing himself for the worst.

And the worst came in the size of a small dog, a yorkie terrier. Dean’s face scrunched up in confusion when he realized the terrifying monster that he was expecting wasn’t one at all. The dog tilted its head to the side as it left out a bark, all before running out, heading for the porch steps to distance itself from the madman holding a gun to it.

“Dean! Is that a gun?”

“No, no. Yeah.” Dean quickly looked forward to see that it was Sid, standing on the sidewalk with a confused expression of his own while he did his usual morning run. He didn’t expect to see his neighbor holding a loaded weapon, let alone, at a dog. Dean quickly put it away as he let out a nervous chuckle from the situation that he was caught in. “Well, it's—I got a permit for it.”

“What, to shoot the Glickman's’ dog?” Sid asked with a bit of confusion.

“I thought that was a possum.” Dean managed to get out an excuse as he let out a laugh, trying to pretend this incidence was all about some accidental mishap. “Remember when I said I was in pest control? Well, possums carry rabies, so…”

Dean pretended to shoot a gun as he made a noise to make a point, Sid slowly nodded his head, but the man still wasn’t the least bit convinced. However, to keep things from being awkward, he acted surprised at what he heard. “I did not know that.”

The Winchester nodded his head as he tried to warn the man about the dangers of possums. However, when the man glanced down to the concrete floor, he spotted something that made his stomach tighten in discomfort. Dean crouched down as he reached out a finger to touch the pale yellow powder that looked awfully familiar. And with one whiff of the rotten egg smell, the man knew right away what it was—sulfur. The man gave a quick goodbye before he left his neighbor confused at what had unfolded right in front of his very eyes. Dean, however, had more important things to worry about.

\+ + +

Dean’s first stop was the garage after coming home. He took advantage of the empty house to grab what sort of itials he might need, from a place that he hadn’t touched since putting her away. The Impala had been kept hidden underneath a sheet since he put hunting out of the back of his mind. Not only were there too many sacred memories, he couldn’t sit in the car without seeing your dead body in the backseat. Or even the time when Sam passed away to what felt like a lifetime ago. But he wasn’t taking the car out for a spin. Dean grabbed a gym bag from one of the shelves, letting a soccer ball Ben rarely used fall to the floor and headed to the trunk where all of Dean’s unused weapons had been collecting dust. Today a few of them were coming out to play.

He grabbed what he thought might be needed; shotgun, salt rounds, another gun, holy water, the works for taking down a nasty demon that was playing games with him. Dean might have retired from hunting, but it didn’t mean that he was going to let those sons of bitches toy with him. Dean stopped for a moment when he heard the sounds of a car door closing and familiar footsteps come to the garage. He finished packing what he needed as Lisa headed inside, wondering what sort of things the man was up to. She was greeted with the sight of Dean searching, not for weapons out of the trunk of a car she never got the opportunity to ride around in, but the man poking around in the tool box. Lisa gave him a bit of a worried look, he greeted her with a smile as he lifted up the hammer that he had been looking for. She gave him a smile, happy to see that he accomplished what he needed, but she wasn’t here for that.

“So, I just ran into Sid.” Lisa started off the conversation. Dean’s smile grew even wider as he tried to pretend that he had no idea what she was talking about. She gave him a bit of a pained expression at the awkward encounter she had herself with their neighbor. “Did you almost shoot a yorkie?”

“Technically.” Dean agreed with the woman.

“What’s going on?” LIsa asked the man, hopeful she would be given an honest answer. Dean, however, brushed off the incident as nothing. “How come I don’t believe you?”

Dean let out a quiet sigh, knowing the woman had grew to take notice of his habits. “I just—I, uh, I go this—I don’t know, spidey sense.” He explained to her, trying to give it in terms that wouldn’t scare her. Lisa asked him straight out if he was hunting something, showing the least bit of fear in her calm expression. “Uh, at first, I thought that I was. But I’m pretty sure that I got worked up over nothing. It’s, uh, you know…it happens.”

“Are you sure?” She wondered.

“I’ll tell you what—just because, you know, I have OCD about this, why don’t, uh, why don’t you and Ben go to the movies, hit the Cheesecake Factory—you know, hang out with the teeming masses, and I’ll just do one last sweep just to be a hundred percent.” Dean suggested a plan that would put the both of them a piece of mind. Lisa nodded her head in agreement, but, like always, she warned him to be careful. The man gave her a quiet laugh and a reassuring smile for what he was about to do. “Careful is my middle name.”

Lisa gave him a smile before she leaned forward and gave him a quick kiss on the lips before pulling away. Dean watched as a worried expression crossed her face one more time from how she was leaving him. However, Lisa went on her way, rounding up her son before heading out for the afternoon, leaving her boyfriend to do some dirty work she wished wouldn’t have come back. But it was better to be safe than sorry.

\+ + +

Dean had a few select things that he kept hidden away that he always kept in reach, never knowing when he was going to need it next. He pulled out a heavy and worn down looking chest and settled it down to the ground, pulling out items that he hadn’t seen in a very long time. The first thing that greeted him was the beaten leather jacket that had seen better days, and he wasn’t talking about the worn down look. He held it for a few moments before pushing it aside, grabbing his father’s journal, knowing that’s what he wanted. If he needed to find any sort of answers to what was going on, this always helped him in desperate times. He opened it up and began to skim the pages he happened to open up to. But his light source seemed to not be all that reliable for a moment.

The man’s eyes wandered upwards when he noticed the single light bulb illuminating the garage began to flicker on and off. Dean narrowed his eyes. He changed it just last week. And it only proved something was going on here. He slowly placed the journal back down and exchanged it for the loaded shotgun as he pushed himself to his feet, get ready for whatever demon that wanted to mess with him. His eyes wandered over to the covered Impala when a quiet thud came from the other side. Dean didn’t hesitate when he began to slowly walk over, getting himself ready for whatever was trying to play games with him. But it seemed that it wasn’t done just yet. Dean stopped in his tracks when he heard a noise coming from across the garage. His focus only lasted a moment, all before he was looking back at the direction of the Impala.

Dean watched as the soccer ball that had rolled into a corner of the garage began to slowly roll back out into the open. The man didn’t hesitate when he began to walk quietly over, drawing out his gun and pointed it at whatever creature that was hiding. But when he jumped and got ready to aim and fire, Dean stopped. There was nobody there. The man furrowed his brow, wondering if his mind was playing tricks on him, or if someone really was here, messing with him. Dean turned around to try and take a sweep of the garage to see if he could find the culprit, but he didn’t need to. The person was standing right behind him to greet the man with a toothy grin.

Those eyes…those glowing yellow eyes. Dean could feel a shiver run down his spine at seeing an old face that he thought would never see again. “Hiya, Dean. Look what the apocalypse shook loose.” The demon let out a throaty laugh at seeing the man’s reaction from seeing a familiar face that he sure wasn’t expecting to see so soon. “You have fun sniffing that trail? ‘Cause I sure had fun patting you around.” 

 

“You can’t be…” Dean began to back away slowly, thinking what he was witnessing was some kind of hallucination his mind was playing on him.

“Oh, sure I can!” Azazel said. Dean muttered a no. He killed the demon with the colt. Nothing that had been touched with Ruby’s knife or the colt itself worked like a charm. It killed whatever sort of creature it came across. Well…mostly everything. “Yeah, kiddo. The big daddy brought your pal Cas back, right? So why not me? Add a little spice to all that sugar.” Yellow Eyes was about to let out a laugh, but before he could, Dean didn’t hesitate a single moment longer when he made use of the weapon still in his hands. He pulled the trigger, expecting the salt round to work, but Azazel only looked down, a little bit annoyed at what just happened. “Really? After all we’ve been through together?”

The demon knocked the weapon out of the man’s hands and roughly grabbed him by the throat, easily lifting him up from the ground. “You know, you got a great little life here. Pretty lady—real understanding. Hell of a kid. I mean, I always thought you’d grow some balls and get with Y/N…Oh wait. She’s dead. How does it feel to know that she’s trapped in the cage with your baby brother? No saving them now. Just like Lisa and poor, poor Ben. I mean, come on, Dean, you’ve never been what I’d call brainy, but did you really think you were gonna get to keep all of this? You had to know that we were coming for you sometime, pal. Too bad…I kinda wished they were still around. It’s always been a dream of mine to waste you and make them watch.“ The demon turned around and slammed Dean against the wall, squeezing the man’s neck harder to cut off his air circulation even more. “You can’t outrun your past.”

Dean could feel the grip around his throat tighten as his eyesight was growing hazy, the lack of oxygen starting to affect him. Azazel’s smile grew even wider as he watched the man become on the brink of unconsciousness. But the demon seemed to have vanished like a cloud of smoke. His grip around his throat changed into a sudden stabbing pain. Dean’s eyes widen when he inhaled a deep breath, feeling himself suddenly come out from a mindset that left him feeling not quite like himself. He quickly looked over at the stranger standing in his garage, and began to wonder if his mind was playing tricks on him again.

The smile that greeted him every morning was right in front of his face again. Dean furrowed his brow as he stared at a female face that didn’t look like Lisa, or anyone that was supposed to be alive. He could hear other footsteps across the floor, making him look away, and to another person that was supposed to be dead. The both of you were supposed to be dead.

“Good. You found him.”

"Yeah…and just in time.”

Dean didn’t hear anymore of this conversation when he stared at two people that looked an awful like you and his little brother, Sam. He opened his mouth as he reached out his arm, not sure what he was doing, until his hand touched the softness of your cheek. A painful smile spread across your lips as you pressed your small, soft hand against his. You were about to speak his name to greet the man, but before you did, you quickly stepped out of the way, wincing when Dean fell flat on his face on the hard concrete.

\+ + +

Nobody really gets out of hunting for good. There was always something you missed, a creature that had another member of its group that you forgot to take out as well to be safe. A demon that had a personal vendetta against you that thought you needed to be taken out. All of that still held true for Dean. He might have gotten lucky while playing house with Lisa and Ben, checking over his shoulder when nobody was looking and kept some safety precautions underneath the bed. But nasty creatures like this worked your own personal fears against you, making even the best of hunters afraid of their own shadow. It explained why you were having nightmares about falling into the cage. And all those terrible faces that you had tried to forget haunted you.

They could have showed up as any other stranger you might have accidentally bumped into on the street, or some pretty waitress trying to get some extra tips. All it took was one little touch to make you theirs. Dean had been affected as well, but luckily, you had counted your blessing when you found him when you did. If you were any later, he might have been a goner for sure. Still, he didn’t come out of the encounter with a djinn without a few scratches you began to worry about. All though you knew the small scrape on the top of his forehead wasn’t due to any sort of hallucination.

Sam was around the house you were squatting at, probably talking to the rest of the group to try and figure out where those nasty sons of bitches had ended up. You let out a quiet sigh at his sleeping face. A finger reached out to ever so lightly touch the cut on the top of his head that you cleaned to make sure it wouldn’t get infected, but you knew it was a matter of time until you let it happen. You held your breath as you lightly traced a finger across his skin, as if it was your turn to realize the man unconscious on the bed was real, and this wasn’t some sort of hallucination. A smile began to spread across your lips when you felt the familiar skin that you hadn’t touched for months. All that time just watching…wanting, and he was here. Not for all the right reasons. You reminded yourself.

A scoff coming from behind made you look over your shoulder as your arm quickly retracted itself back to your lap. You pushed yourself to a standing position when you noticed that Sam had come back to see how his brother was doing, and how you hadn’t moved very far from your spot since arriving back. You wondered if the reaction was because of how you suddenly were throwing your attention back to the oldest Winchester, a man you claimed to have no intentions of going back to. You looked at Sam in the eye when he took a seat on the bed. You were sure something like this would spark an emotion in him—envy, jealously…something. But there was nothing.

Sam sat there with a calm expression as he relaxed with his elbows on his knee, not even a glint of anything that seemed out of the ordinary. Maybe a little bit of hilarity from how you wouldn’t leave his brother’s side. You couldn’t tell what he was thinking anymore. Ever since you came back from the cage, things had been different with him. And the dynamics between the two of you.

It wasn’t your intention to make him feel jealous. You felt the guilt in your heart grow even worse from the situation. Dean was the man you had professed your love for over and over again, Sam was the little brother you had always looked up to as your best friend. Your better half that you could count on for anything. The struggles that you had faced over the past few years brought you even closer together. You never really looked at Sam the way you did for Dean. Of course there was no denying the younger Winchester was a catch and easy on the eyes. The Winchester men had no shortage of handsome looks, John himself. Sam was smart, tall as hell, and had this handsome charm about him that was different from the boyish one that his brother had. But he wasn’t Dean. At least…you thought. Sam’s behavior was far different from last year.

Your personal thoughts were put on hold when you heard the sounds of the wooden cot starting to slowly creak from the shifting of someone’s weight. You looked down to see that Dean was slowly coming back around, his eyes began to flutter open ever so slowly, and with blurry vision, he came in contact with two familiar faces. You crossed your arms over your chest as you backed away from him, giving the man much needed space as he began to come back around. A look of confusion was the only expression he gave you when he sat himself back up, his eyes darting from you, to his smiling little brother, who was nothing more than happy to see the man himself after all this time spent away.

“Hey, Dean.” Sam greeted his older brother as he pushed himself up to his feet and began to ever so slowly walk forward, not wanting to see another fainting spell after your first encounter. “I was expecting, uh…I don’t know, a hug, some holy water in the face—something.”

“So I’m dead? This is Heaven?” Dean’s first set of questions made your face scrunch in your own confusion from how he had suddenly jumped the gun. He looked a little bit scared as he stared at the both of you, wondering if his time on earth had been cut short by a monster that had been dead for a few years now. Azazel wasn’t lucky enough to find his way out of hell where you had put him. “Yellow Eyes killed me, and now—”

“Yellow Eyes? That’s what you saw?” You asked, wondering of all the things his mind could have tortured him with, it was the demon which started this all. Dean looked at you like you grew a third head, your lips stretched into a small smile at his face, suddenly finding his expression adorable. “You were poisoned. So whatever kind of crazy crap you think you’ve been seeing, it’s not real.”

Dean fell silent, his mind wandering back to the other night when he left the bar with his friend, the scratch marks and the constant paranoia that something was put there. It all had been a trick. The man hesitantly looked back at the two of you, wondering if this was some kind of other trip. “So, then, are you…real? Or—or am I still—”

“We’re real.” Sam reassured the man, Dean still seemed a little hesitant to trust you just yet. You could take the hunter out of the game for just a little while, but the older Winchester was still smart to hold a little bit of suspicion. “Here let me save you the trouble. Y/N, give me your arm.”

Sam took out a knife from his pocket, and with the flick of his wrist, drew out the small blade to begin the first set. You slightly winced when you felt the silver run across your skin, drawing up a small amount of blood, but it was enough proof to show that you weren’t a shapeshifter. Sam did the same as well to himself before grabbing a jug of holy water and poured some salt into it. While it would have been a deadly combination for a demon, or what you were before dying, you took a swig of the stuff and coughed from how terrible it tasted before turning your attention back to Dean. 

“All us.” You said, clarifying that you had come back from the dead with no sorts of faults and not a monster wanting to kill him. You grimaced as the salt taste lingered in your mouth as you looked down at the jug of water. “God, that is awful.”

Dean sat on the cot for a few moments longer, his mind trying to wrap around the fact that you and his baby brother were back from the dead, after all this time. You looked over at him as your facial expression began to soften at the sight of him. Your lips stretched into a warm smile that he dreamed about for months. Ever so slowly, the man pushed himself up to his feet. He looked at you with a nervous expression as he whispered your name. It felt so good to hear it again after all this time. 

“Miss me?” You asked him with an eyesight that was beginning to grow blurry from what you were finally getting the chance to do. 

Suddenly you felt yourself being lifted up from the ground as a pair of familiar strong arms wrapped around your waist, pulling you close to him as humanly possible. Your arms wrapped around his neck as Dean buried his face into the crook of your neck, squeezing you tight as he possibly could. You shut your eyes for a moment as you inhaled a deep breath to take in his familiar scent of leather, gasoline and oil. Instead you got a whiff of something like women’s perfume and fabric softener. It made your stomach tighten at the realization that this wasn’t the Dean you remembered. He wasn’t yours anymore. The smell was of Lisa, his girlfriend that he had been living with for the past year. 

Dean, however, got the same smell when his nose brushed against the softness of your hair, bringing him back to a time that felt like a lifetime ago. He felt like his better half was back. The world felt right again to have the face in the picture in the pillowcase was in front of him again. He squeezed you even tighter before finally putting you back down to the ground after you complained about needing to breathe.

The oldest Winchester turned his attention to the man who had been the true hero of the situation, someone he thought would never see again. Dean didn’t waste a second in embracing his little brother in a tight tug, enjoying the sight of seeing two people he loved the most back again. But he couldn’t help but wonder about who had been generous enough to pull the both of you from the cage. Dean pulled away as he looked at the both of you with a baffled expression, now overcome with confusion as he looked at his little brother. 

“Wait a minute, wait a minute. You—you—you were—you were gone, man. I mean, that—that was it. And Y/N, I saw you…You,” Dean tried to form complete sentences as his mind raced all at once to ask the questions burning in the back of his mind. He pointed a finger at you when when he became worried about how you came back. “You stabbed yourself. I buried you. How the hell are you—”

“I don’t know.” You admitted, shrugging your shoulders at the lack of answers.

“What do you mean you don’t know?” Dean questioned you, as if you were holding out some big source of information that he wasn’t going to like what he was about to hear. But you continued on playing dumb, letting him think the generous person who had broke you and his brother free were still in the shadows.

“I mean, no idea.” You told him. “We’re just…back.”

“Well, was it God, or—or—or—Cas?” Dean tried to list off a few possibilities. The name of your old angel friend made you furrow your brow in confusion, remembering the last time you had seen him was being blown into guts and blood by Lucifer. But it seemed God himself was feeling a bit generous to have made his child whole again. You, however, hadn’t been so lucky to have been pulled from hell by the angel, or God, for that matter. “I mean, does Cas know anything about it?”

“You tell me. Y/N and I have been calling. Cas hasn’t answered my prayers. We don’t even know where he is.” Sam said, admitting the truth to his brother. “I mean, I was…down there, and then, next minute, it’s raining, and I’m lying in that field with Y/N.”

“Whatever pulled us out was generous enough not to leave me in the coffin. And alone, for that matter.” You added more to the story as you crossed your arms over your chest. You looked over at the younger Winchester for a second as your lips stretched into a small smile, he stared down at you, and with a bit of surprise, he gave the gesture back. “It’s kind of hard to go looking for whatever saved you when you got no leads. But we looked. I mean, believe me, we looked… for weeks.”

You didn’t realize you had accidentally let a crucial timespan slip out of your mouth before it was too late. You quickly looked away from the spot on the floor you had been staring at and to the oldest Winchester when you realized what you said. Dean, ever so slowly, began to calculate the words in his head. You could see the hurt creep into his eyes when he realized.

"Wait, weeks? How long you been back?” He cautiously asked you. You didn’t answer as you looked away in guilt, your teeth sinking into your bottom lip. “How long have you two been back, Y/N?”

“About a year.” Sam answered for the man.

“About a year?” Dean repeated his little brother, his brow rising in surprise at what he heard. You spoke the older Winchester’s name in hopes that you could explain yourself, but he cut you off, showing his anger for what you had done to him. “You two have been back practically this whole time?! What, did either one of you lose the ability to send a friggin’ text message?!”

“You finally had what you wanted, Dean.” You said, your voice dropping to a whisper.

“I wanted my brother, alive.” The older Winchester argued with the both of you for what you had chose to do. “I had to watch you die, Y/N. I buried you because that was my only way of trying to say goodbye to you two! Do you know how hard that was for me?”

“You wanted a family. You wanted to get out, Dean. You wanted a family to call your own. And even if I could have lived, it wouldn’t have worked. You know it couldn’t. But I know you have for a long time since you saw Lisa again with Ben. Hell, maybe the entire time. I know you and Sam better than you know yourselves. You only gave it up because of the way you lived. This was your entire life. And honestly…if I did live. I don’t think I would give this up.” You admitted to him, trying to explain yourself to him. You let out a quiet sigh from what you must have put him through this entire year. “But you had something, and you were building something. Had we shown up, Dean, you would have just run off.”

The man didn’t think that was going to cut it. You let out a quiet sigh when he turned around as he tried to wrap his head around with what was going on. “I’m sorry, Dean. We really are. But it felt like everything, you deserved some regular life.” You tried to apologize the best that you could. “I couldn’t let those promises go to waste.”

Dean faced you and his little brother again when a thought crossed his mind. He hadn’t seen you in almost a year, you had to have been keeping yourself busy. “What have you two been doing this whole time?”

“Hunting.” Sam answered, shrugging his shoulders at what else the two of you would be doing as he sat back down on the bed.

“You left me alone, and you two have been spending this entire year hunting together?” Dean asked, trying to fill in the gaps of the time passed between then and now. “That’s it?”

“No. We hooked up.”

“What?”

“We hooked up with some other people.” Sam clarified. You could feel your arms tighten around your body when you looked over at the younger Winchester from the corner of your eye at his wording that made your heart nearly stop. He’d been bold over this past year, and, sometimes, down right cold. But you didn’t think he lost his ability of being a smart ass. Dean, however, seemed stuck on the idea that you and his brother were working with strangers. “They’re more like family. And they’re here.”

“They’re…” You tried your hardest to describe the people you had been working with for the past year. You wanted to say they were nothing like the three of you together. But it was better than working solo. Instead, you walked over to the stained glass french doors and swung them open to walk down the hall. “Come on. Let’s go.”

You and the boys walked around the house and down to the dining area where you had spotted the group gathered around, discussing your next plan of action. Your eyes slowly scanned the group as gave them a warning stare, knowing any sort of remarks would be unnecessary. Gwen, who had been leaning against a chair, decided to be the friendly one and stuck out her hand for Dean to shake. However, she didn’t seem to get your memo when she took notice of the man’s appearance that she wasn’t expecting after hearing so much about this Dean.

“My God, you have delicate features for a hunter.” Gwen muttered as her lips stretched into a smile, Dean looked at the woman with a bit of a confused expression.

“Trust me. There’s nothing delicate about him.“ You said, rolling your eyes from her sarcastic remarks. "Dean, this is Gwen Campbell.”

“Good to finally meet you.” Gwen said with honest pleasure of meeting another pure blood Winchester she’d heard so much about. “Sam and Y/N’s gone on and on. Finally nice to put a face to the boyfriend Y/N was always gushing about. I can see why.”

“Ex boyfriend.” You awkwardly corrected the woman, looking down at her with a tight smile. You had mentioned previously before that you had a relationship with the older Winchester, but you had failed to mention that the man was now involved with another woman. You didn’t let the conversation linger much longer on your life as you gestured an arm to the man standing across from the table and the other sitting on a torn up seat with his boots up on the table, “And this is Christian…Mark. Campbell.”

“Hi.” Dean reached out to shake Christian’s hand as Mark continued on cleaning the gun he’d been working on since you got back here. He just looked up and gave a blank stare. Dean didn’t seem too offended, he seemed to realize that the last name sounded eerily familiar to a side of family that he’d never got the chance to meet. “Cam—Campbell? Like…”

“Like your mom.” Christian said, finishing the man’s thought.

“Third cousin. Third cousin.” Sam explained the relationships as he pointed to Gwen and Christian, however, he shrugged when he forgot the precise detail of how Mark was related to them. “Something, something twice removed. They grew up in the life, like mom and like us.”

“I thought all of mom’s relatives were gone.” Dean said, caught up on one little detail into figuring out this was all possible. You shrugged your shoulders from the lack of answers that you could give him. It was a piece of the plot you hadn’t been too caught up on. They were damn good hunters to have around. While you had spent the year with them, Dean wasn’t all too warmed up yet to embrace them with open arms. “And I’m sorry. It’s just, you know why didn’t we know about any of you?”

“‘Cause they didn’t know about you.”

Dean turned around when he heard a voice come from behind. You looked over your shoulder to see that Samuel had come out from the hiding spot that he had been keeping himself occupied in. It seemed the man thought that now was the best time to introduce himself again. But Dean stared at the man with a baffled expression. The first time Dean had met his grandfather was when he got sent back into the past with you, back when his mother was still in the lifestyle and living under his roof. He’d died at the hands of Azazel after he got Mary to take that deal. But it seemed someone had been a sucker for family reunions, as he was brought back from the dead, in the same matter as yourself and Sam.

“Not until I brought all of you together.” Samuel explained, slowly stepping into the room and approaching the older Winchester, who was now starting to get the same expression as he did before when you met him in the garage. The man embraced his grandson into a tight hug, happy to have this moment after hearing so much about him. Dean, however, was too stunned to form words as he stared at the man who was supposed to be his grandfather, the link to his mother who had died when he was only a small child. Samuel seemed to have sensed the man’s confusion and looked towards the group. “Guys, give me a second with Y/N and my grandsons here, please.”

You watched as the small group of three cleared out of the room when given the command, leaving the rest of you alone. You walked over to the table and sat yourself down at the edge. Looking over at the older Winchester, you gave him a sympathetic expression from what he was going through as your hands wrapped around the edges of the table. “Lots of resurrections in your face today.” You said. “I’m sure it’s gonna take a minute to get your head wrapped around everything that’s been going on.”

“It’s gonna take a little more than a minute, Y/N. I mean, what the hell?” Dean muttered underneath his breath, his eyes jumping from you and the two men he had witness die in their own strange ways. “H-How did this happen?”

“We’re guessing whatever pulled Sam and Y/N up pulled me down.” Samuel said.

“So, whatever this is, the three of us are a part of it.” The younger Winchester added, but it didn’t answer any of the questions his brother might have.

“But you don’t know what it is.” Dean said. You snapped your fingers and pointed your finger at him, nodding your head from how he was catching on. “And you have no leads? Nothing? Well, this—this is, uh…no more doornails coming out of that door, is there?”

“As far as we know, it’s Samuel, Y/N and me.” Sam said.

Dean nodded his head slowly, happy to hear this family reunion had come to a final close. If he had to see another familiar face, his heart might give out on him from everything that was going on here. However, the man knew that if God didn’t do this, and Cas had been MIA, there was something far worse going on here. He’d been freed from Hell, but there had been strings attached, Dean was worried the same consequences might have been held for the two of you. But Lucifer had been put back in the cage. And none of this was quite making any sense the more he thought about it.

“Okay, am I the only one here that things that this can’t all just be fine?” Dean asked.

“Believe me, you’re not.” Samuel said, sharing the same skepticism as the older Winchester. He had been spending the past few decades in Heaven, only to be brought back from the dead by an unknown force. And into a future he had no clue how to function in. One thing was clear, he had wanted his family back together. “I wanted to come get you, of course. Sam and Y/N were adamant about leaving you out, so we did. Until this.”

“Right.” Dean muttered, he nodded his head slowly. “So, then you ended up in my garage how?”

“I got hit before you did a few days ago. Dosed up with poison.” You explained more of the situation to the man, letting him connect the dots. “Couple of djinn.”

“Djinn? I thought those were cave-dwelling hermit-type.” Dean said, knowing this was not the same kind he had remembered coming in contact with a few years back with you. “That’s pretty exotic.”

“Not anymore, at least. These look like regular people. They can blend in. And all they got to do to kill you is touch you.” Sam said, giving some information that you and him had to find out the hard way. “Their toxins get in your system, all of a sudden you’re hallucinating your worst nightmares, and pretty soon you O.D.”

“Well, then how is Y/N breathing air?” Dean asked.

“Samuel had a cure.” You said, nodding your head to his grandfather.

Dean’s brow furrowed from hearing this, “You got a cure for djinn poison?”

“Oh, I know a few things.” Samuel said, cracking a smile at his own knowledge that he had collected over the years that was still good to this very day. “Stick around, I’ll show you tricks your daddy never even dreamed of.”

Dean knew this couldn’t have been a random attack if you and his brother got a hit before they went gunning for him, there had to be another motive. “Okay, why are these things after us?”

“Well, you did stake one a while back.” You said, reminding the man. “After they came after us, I had a hunch they were gonna try to go for you next.”

“Lisa and Ben—they’re at the house right now. If that thing comes back—” Dean suddenly became overwhelmed with panic at the thought of the two of them being put in danger. Samuel was already a step ahead of of him, reassuring the man that he’d already put one of his men on the job. However, that wasn’t good enough for Dean as he pointed a finger at you and his brother. “You got to take me home right now.”

\+ + +

You and the boys made it back to the Braden in half the time after Sam disobeyed all rules of the road to get back to the Braden residence. But the man barely had enough time to park in the driveway before Dean was jumping out. You followed behind just a moment later to watch the man go running inside the house, frantically calling out Lisa and Ben’s name in a desperate tone, hoping he wasn’t too late for the worst. Scanning the neighborhood, you noticed that there was no suspicious behavior that seemed out of character from the previous times you had been here. You noticed an unfamiliar car in the driveway that was parked across the street that gave a perfect view of the house. But as you took a step forward and glanced inside, you felt a curse word slip out from underneath your mouth at the sight of the lifeless body hunched to the side.

This wasn’t good. You let Sam figure out what you had put together based on your reaction of running into the house, fearing the most yourself of what could have possibly be in there. All though Lisa’s car wasn’t in the driveway, it didn’t mean that she hadn’t been home. You stepped inside to see that Dean was a ball of anxiety, he frantically had searched the downstairs to see that he couldn’t find Lisa anywhere. You decided to look around the place to see if they happen to have been around as Dean decided to call her, thinking she might still have been out.

Dean headed for the kitchen as you searched the downstairs, only to see there was no sign of activity from the last time you had been here. No shoes Ben had forgotten to put away or Lisa’s purse dropped down. You quickly headed upstairs and searched all the rooms that were open, only to see there was nobody around. The last door on the right was closed, and you knew exactly what the room was. You swung open the door to see it was the master bedroom that Lisa and Dean shared over the past few years. You neglected to indulge yourself in any sort of thoughts as you scanned the area to see that everything was in its usual spot, no sign that she had been here. You let out a frustrated sigh as you shut the door before heading back downstairs to the kitchen, about to say that you didn’t find anything. As you stepped into the kitchen, you stopped dead in your tracks when you spotted a face you had only seen once before when he was just eight years old. And it seemed he was shocked to see you, as well.

Your attention only lasted on Ben for a moment before you slowly looked over at his mother, the woman you had met once before. But you had left her that letter in her mailbox, preparing her for what was going to happen. She thought that you were dead, you thought she was in danger. Your lips stretched into a faint smile at the awkward situation that you had landed yourself in.

“Lisa, Ben,” Dean broke the silence as he looked at his girlfriend, he cleared his throat as he decided to take a moment and introduce the three of you again. “I don’t know if you remember–”

“Y/N.” Lisa whispered your name underneath her breath.

As if the woman was frightened at seeing a familiar face that she had thought was dead, things had only gotten weirder when she saw a ginormous frame step into the room. Sam found his way back into the kitchen to greet the fellow Braden family. You let out a breath, knowing things had just gotten themselves way more complicated than they should have ever been.

\+ + +

Getting Lisa and Ben out of the danger was the number one priority right now, and there was one hunter you could always count on. You slammed the door to Sam’s car as you lingered behind, giving Dean a chance to get his family settled into the house they’d be staying at for the next few days. Dean thought he was the only one who knew about you and his brother being back from the dead. As you saw Lisa and Ben disappear from view, you quietly walked up to the porch as the older Winchester stepped inside. You and Sam ever so slowly stepped into view of the doorway to make yourself noticed by the older hunter. Dean looked over his shoulder to see you and his brother had come around.

While he was expecting Bobby to be surprised when he looked back at the man’s direction, it was him who was taken back when you had politely waved to the man when he greeted you and Sam like it was some ordinary day as you waved. Dean could feel his face drop in surprise at what was going on here. And he wasn’t the least bit happy.

“You knew? You knew Y/N and Sam were alive?” Dean moved this private conversation to the kitchen while Lisa and Ben were upstairs getting themselves situated. You crossed your arms over your chest as you avoided any sort of eye contact with the man that was growing more angry with each second that passed. Bobby tried to defend himself when Dean asked him how long, however, he wasn’t in the mood to hear it when he asked again. “How long?!”

Bobby let out a heavy sigh as he adjusted his crossed arms tighter around his body, “All year.”

Dean looked at the three of you with disbelief at the situation he was being put through. You could see the hurt come creep back into his eyes as he continued to slowly pace the floor. “Oh, you got to be kidding me.”

“And I’d do it again.” Bobby said, defending his actions that he had chosen. Dean turned around and threw his arms out, aggressively asking the man why. “Because you got out, Dean! There was no way of bringing Y/N back from the dead. You walked away from the life. And I was so damn grateful, you got no idea.” 

“Do you have any clue what walking away meant for me?” Dean questioned the man as he marched forward and roughly pointed a finger at his chest.

“Yeah—a woman that wanted you and a kid that looks up to you. Oh yeah, and not getting your guts ripped out by age thirty.” You jumped into the conversation, defending Bobby for what he had chose to do after you begged him not to tell. The man was adamant as you had been to keep the man safe. “That’s what it meant.”

“That woman and that kid—I went to them because you asked me to.” Dean hissed as he turned the direction of his finger at you. You crossed your arms over your chest from how the way he was speaking about Lisa. You shrugged your shoulders, mumbling good underneath your breath. “Good for who, Y/N? I showed up on their doorstep half out of my head with grief. God knows why they even let me in. I drank too much. I had nightmares. I looked everywhere. I collected hundreds of books, trying to find anything to bust the two of you out.”

"You promised me you’d leave it alone.” You hissed at him between clenched teeth.

“Of course I didn’t leave it alone! Sue me!” Dean argued with you about his choices. You rolled your eyes and looked at another part of the kitchen, trying to control your anger. The man turned his attention to Bobby, who he was the most frustrated with at the moment from what he did to him. “A damn year? You couldn’t put me out of my misery?”

“What do you think was gonna happen if I lived, Dean? I couldn’t fix you. I couldn’t give you the life you deserved! And look, I get that it wasn’t easy. I didn’t want to lie to you. But you’re happier than I’ve ever seen you. This was your chance at a normal life!” You shouted at him, suddenly you were overcome with the urge to shake some sense into him. "I spent sixteen years of my life in Suburbia. Sam got out when he was in college. But you never had the chance to live a life you deserve. You have a woman who has been there through all of it. And a kid who looks up to you, damn it. You’re out, Dean.” 

“Do I look out to you, sweetheart?” Dean asked you a question that should have made you grow silent from the bitter truth he was giving you. 

“It’s just a bump in the road. It doesn’t mean it’s always going to be like this, Dean. And if it does happen again, you know how a phone works. But after this, I’ll be out of your hair. For good.” You said. You watched as the man’s angered expression slowly disappear, and replaced with a look of surprise at your sudden choice. “What did you think was gonna happen? You can’t run off on her because I’m back. She deserves you. I had my time with you. Now it’s hers. She…” You could feel the four letter word at the tip of your tongue, l-o-v-e. But even thinking about it made a discomfort settle in your stomach as you swallowed, changing your wording to something less painful for you to say. “Cares for you. In a way that I never can.”

Dean knew exactly what you meant from the look on your face. He could see the hurt in your eyes from how things needed to be. He had your time with you. Both of you had spent an entire year as if the one really had died, trying your hardest to bury the past of what once was and move on. Your relationship, despite what you told yourself at the time, wasn’t based upon true love like you thought.

It was another part of the “end of the world” scheme that everyone from angels and demons wanted to see. There really was no such thing as soulmates or true love, only people who made you feel good. And you know Lisa did that for Dean. As the man filled a spot in Lisa’s heart that she had longed for since the fateful meeting a few years ago. If you took that away for your own selfish reasons, you’d feel wrong taking him from a woman that changed his life for the better and a kid who finally had someone he could look up to. The three of them fit together like a real family. But you’d be lying to yourself if you said you were okay with this. But it was the right thing to do.

You crossed your arms over your chest and turned your head away from him, keeping any sort of emotion hidden behind a blank expression. Dean knew the conversation was over between the both of you. He was upset, and he had every right to be, but he had more important matters to think of. Letting out a quiet sigh, the man walked out of the room and to the staircase, where he saw Lisa approaching closer to him. She gave him a smile when she noticed him coming closer, and it wasn’t hard to see the worry in his face from everything that was going on as his hands began to nervously intertwine. 

"How’s he doing?” Dean asked, nodding his head up to the guest bedroom Ben was occupying.

“He’s okay.” Lisa reassured him. “How are you?”

Dean let out a quiet chuckle from her question, she really didn’t want to hear the answer. “Look, I know Bobby’s a little crotchety, but he’s great. He’s gonna look after you guys. Me, Sam and Y/N, we’re gonna head out.”

Lisa could feel her smile beginning to slowly disappear at hearing the news. She sat herself down on the staircase and asked, “For how long?”

Dean let out a heavy sigh as he hit his fist against his palm, knowing this probably wasn’t what she was expecting. He’d been out of hunting this entire year, she must have thought he’d stay with her while you and his brother got the job done. “I’m so sorry, Lisa. ” Dean apologized to the woman, his tone full of regret how this situation had to be. She furrowed her brow, wondering what possibly the man could feel guilty for. “Those things were coming for me. And I should’ve known.”

“How could you know a monster was gonna show up? Lisa asked him, not seeming so afraid of what was unraveling like he had been. The woman was waiting for this, and surprisingly, she found herself taking it better than Dean was right now. 

"I should’ve known. I should’ve known that if I stayed with you that something would come, because something always does. But I was stupid and reckless and…” Dean found himself rambling out of the mouth, his nerves getting the best of him. He looked over his shoulder for a moment and back to the kitchen, where you and his little brother quietly sat, waiting for him. “You can’t outrun your past.”

Lisa followed his gaze and noticed what he had been staring at, she could feel her heart sinking at the thought of was going on. One little incident and he’d be off running, back to his real family that needed him. Not to mention, the people that he thought were dead suddenly coming back from the dead. She should have seen this coming when she watched you step into the kitchen after a year gone. “You’re saying goodbye.”

Dean walked over to the staircase and joined the woman to sit with her for a moment. A small silence fell between the both of them for a second longer until Dean rephrased his words, “I’m saying I’m sorry…for everything.” 

“Everything….You know, you’re an idiot.” Lisa’s response wasn’t what he expected at all. He looked at the woman to see that she was staring at him with an angered expression from how he was acting, so caught up on something she was expecting to happen. She knew the dangers when she let him in the front door. Because Dean would protect them, like how he did before. “I mean, I know it wasn’t greeting-card perfect, but we were in it together.“

"I was a wreck half the time.” Dean tried to defend himself as he continue on his woes.

“Yeah, well, the guy that basically just saved the world shows up at your door—someone who lost his family—you expect him to have a couple of issues. I mean, you lost Y/N. I know how much it hurt you. And I was ready to help you any way that I could…ever since she gave me that letter.” Lisa said. Her voice was growing harder as she admitted a detail she kept to herself like you asked her to. “You’re always so amazing with Ben. You know what I wanted, more than anything was a guy that Ben could look up to like…like a dad. So, you’re saying it’s all bad, Dean? ‘Cause it was the best year of my life.”

Footsteps echoing off the creaky wooden floors made the couple look away from whatever spot in the house they had been staring at for the past few moments to see who was approaching. A small, forced smile was placed on your lips as you looked at the two with a bit of an apologetic look, knowing this was the part where you had to leave. Dean let out a sigh and pushed himself to his feet and nearly started to walk off, but he quickly realized something, a habit he’d grown used to ever since living with Lisa. He didn’t realize it, as his mind wandered to the old habit he had picked up, like riding a bike. All the man thought was getting back into the Impala and going to hunt whatever thing that was terrorizing them.

Dean stopped himself at the bottom staircase and looked away from you, the person that he couldn’t call his girlfriend anymore, because that wasn’t right. The woman sitting next to him was, and the kid upstairs was someone he could call a son. Suddenly Dean could feel his stomach tighten at how foreign the words sounded to him. He bent down and gave the woman a quick, almost mindless kiss on the lips before he headed down the steps and joined you into walking to the front door with Sam following behind, soon, they disappeared, leaving the woman alone with her own personal thoughts.

Lisa let out a quiet sigh. She wondered for a second if she should be worried. Not about Dean getting hurt, but really hearing a man she’d longed to be with again for almost three years disappear—just like that. Lisa was understanding that this situation wasn’t picture perfect, it wasn’t normal compared to the people she lived on the street with. Being a single mother did raise a few brows, she didn’t care. And she didn’t crumple the letter up from you when she found it a few months before Dean knocked on her front door, she waited every single day for it. Because the both of you had one thing in common—Dean’s happiness. She welcomed him into her home because it was your dying wish, and she longed to have him in her and Ben’s life again. All of it felt right, and for that year, she was the happiest that she was ever been.

But every situation had a bitter reality. Lisa was happy that you and Sam were back from the dead. She heard so many stories about the two of you, she secretly wanted to meet you in person and share some quality time together. How many times had she dreamed about having you over as a friend or how you would be with me? Too many. Yet, her thoughts were now being clouded with the dreaded question. She’d spent the past year being with a man that was only one side of him. And you’d had the chance to see another side that was far different from the one who spent Saturday afternoons with Ben, or the one who would wake up in the middle of the night in pure panic mode. You seen him when he was on the road saving the world, down at his lowest moments of life that he barely talked about.

It begged the question; which side of Dean was going to win? The hunter or the “husband”?

\+ + +

You and the boys headed back on the road after making sure Lisa and Ben were settled at Bobby’s. You made it back a little bit into the late afternoon to see that most of Samuel and the rest of the Campbells were still around in the house you were squatting in, preparing themselves for battle. When you asked them what the plan was they should have been talking about while you were gone, Samuel was more of the prepared type, not wanting to be the one to jump the gun on this one. He wanted to be patient and gather all the supplies one might need to take down a few djinn without having one of his family members get hurt again. Dean, however, heard something far different from what his grandfather was trying to say.

“So you’re saying there is no plan.”

“We’ll find them.” Samuel reassured the older Winchester. “Just got to be patient.”

“Yeah, okay.” Dean pretended for a moment to be on board with the plan. But the Campbell was going to quickly realize that wasn’t how the Winchester men too care of a problem when these monsters decided to go for somewhere close and personal. “Oh, here’s an alt. Why don’t we go kill the sons of bitches that broke into my home?”

“Relax, Dean. We got it handled.” Christian said, not particularly liking the tone of voice that was being used on him and his family. Sure, all of them here were raised in this lifestyle, but the man thought that Dean was acting with his heart and not his head, so he needed a bit of a brief for what the right thing to do was. “Djinn are hard to draw out. Now, you’ve been out of the game for a while. Leave it to the professionals.” 

“Yeah. Sure.” Dean muttered underneath his breath, seeming to take the backlash better than you had expected. You quietly scoffed underneath your breath from Christian’s comments and gave him a look from from how unnecessarily rude he was acting. But the older Winchester was quick on his feet. “Tiny suggestion. You see, djinn are easier to draw out when they got bait. They want Y/N, Sam and me. They know where I live. Now, I haven’t been hunting in a while, but I’m gonna stick my neck out and guess that’s a pretty good place for us to go.” Everyone fell silent as your eyes were drawn away from Dean and the other Campbell, who sat there with a bit of an embarrassed look on his face, knowing he’d just got his ass handed to him. “See? It’s almost like I’m a professional.”

\+ + +

All of you headed back to the Braden household with the luxury of not needing to worry about casualties. And it didn’t take much time for everyone to get themselves comfortable. Gwen spotted a fashion magazine on the coffee table and sarcastically asked if it was Dean’s or the girlfriend’s, you snatched it out of her hands and remarked about how it might be helpful is she picked one up—perhaps she could get lucky while she was out and scouring the bar for a suitable hookup. That shut her up. Mark got his grubby hands on a picture frame of the happy family, which Dean was quick to stop him from accidentally dropping it. And to top it off, Sam went snooping into the closet underneath the stairs, wondering why the man had taken up golf, which, Dean replied, saying it was a sport. A very boring, tedious sport. 

Dean found peace and quiet from everything that was going on by hiding himself in the kitchen for a few moments. He almost how stressful hunting could be, especially when it involved people he cared deeply for. The man stepped away for a moment to collect his thoughts. He turned on the faucet and ran some cold water before collect some in the palms of his hands and splashing it on his face. He let out a sharp breath, finding himself in a bit of shock at what he’d done, but it was enough to get his senses going. As he reached for a dish towel, a voice rang out through the kitchen, making Dean’s moment of peace disrupted.

“You can take the man out of hunting, but you can’t take the hunter of the man.” Your attention was focused on the bulletin board that hung right where the phone was. Different pictures of the happy family were pinned, along with messages that were written messily down on post it notes about missed calls and a soccer game Ben had this weekend. You looked over at Dean and gave him a smile, knowing this was the first real moment you had alone with him since meeting him again. “Nice house, by the way.” 

“Oh, yeah. Go ahead, say it—call me a soccer mom.” Dean muttered underneath his breath as he leaned himself between the corner of the countertops and wiped his hands with the towel.

“‘Soccer mom,’ huh? Well, I’ll have to look that up on the ‘intranet.’” You said, your voice growing a bit deeper as you pretended to impersonate Samuel for the kind of lingo the man wouldn’t understand. You thought it would have made Dean crack the smallest of a smile, instead, he looked anywhere around the room, except for you. He was still upset, and he had every right to be from what you did to him. “I’m sorry. I should have told you.”

“Then why didn’t you tell me, Y/N?” Dean asked you. Your facial expression softened as you looked at him with a guilty consciousness that was starting to feel heavier from what you had put him through. You opened your mouth to give him the truth, but someone’s voice cut you off, ruining the moment that you were about to have with him.

“Because she was trying to protect you.“ You looked over your shoulder to see that it was Samuel, wandering into a conversation that wasn’t meant for him. You looked straight forward and let out a quiet sigh, the man was always looming over your shoulder like a hawk sometimes. "You know, believe it or not, I get it, Dean. Your mom wanted a normal life, too. Ella didn’t help that much when she came into the picture. She and Mary were close. You two remind me a lot of them, actually. The attitudes, for one thing.”

“A trip down memory lane, how touching.” You muttered underneath your breath, rolling your eyes from how easily a moment could be ruined.

“You tell Dean what we been dealing with the past few months?” Samuel asked you, breaking your concentration away from the fruit sitting nicely on the island in a metal basket. You furrowed your brow slightly as you shook your head, not exactly wanting this conversation to turn in the direction he was about to. “I’ve never seen anything quite like it. Been working 'round the clock. And we don’t know what’s going on. But whatever it is, it goes way past a couple of djinn acting off—nocturnals attacking in broad daylight, werewolves on the half-moon, creatures that we’ve never seen before. We don’t even know what they are. I’m knee-deep in half-eaten human hearts in exsanguinated ten-year-olds, and it’s all making me…uneasy.”

You crossed your arms over your chest and looked down at the island once more, your facial expression beginning to change ever so slightly from the memories that came flooding back to you. Dean could feel his hand grip tighter around the countertop, knowing he couldn’t do anything to help comfort you. “So what’s your theory?” He asked, keeping his focus on the conversation.

“You tell me. All we really know is that it’s all hands on deck. We’re counting on each other right now. That’s how it is with the Campbells. We need you, Dean.” Samuel was leading the conversation into the sales pitch, you quickly looked over at the older man as your expression changed into a scowl. He ignored your daggers as he began walking over to his grandson when the man slowly tried to decline the offer. “You don’t know what you’re part of, Dean. You know, you had ancestors hacking the heads off vamps on the Mayflower. What I’m saying is that we’re your blood. And we’re out there dying, trying to get in front of whatever this is. Maybe not the best time for golf.”

Dean’s gaze settled on his grandfather for a moment, processing whatever sort of speech that he was saying to win over the man. However, he didn’t know him that well, and from how you were staring at the back of the older man’s head, Dean decided on trusting the family he knew. And not the one that ended in his own blood. For now, at least.

\+ + +

Soon, the afternoon turned into the early evening as you gotten yourself more comfortable in the Braden household. Gwen and Christian kept themselves out of the way by occupying different parts of the house to keep an eye on as Mark sat in the van, montering the streets for any sort of suspicious activity. Dean felt a little bit out of the loop when you and his brother circled around the table the family used for family dinners eat night. Now it was being set up as a place to rest a map as Samuel pointed at certain parts, muttering things the man couldn’t understand, but it seemed you and Sam were listening intently. Whatever sort of vulnerability you’d shown about trusting Samuel had disappeared as you nodded your head, giving the man all his attention. It seemed that things never changed. If there was a life in trouble, you would put any sort of doubt aside and help the best to your ability.

Dean stepped out for a moment to see how things were going with Mark, who had very little words to share with him, except for the news that the djinn were very closer than they thought. It was a waiting game of who was going to strike first. The older Winchester hadn’t been in the hunting game for about a year, but he knew how to draw out a monster out in the open. And the first move was getting everyone that was getting his family out of here, with a few exceptions. He wandered back into the house and disrupted what everyone was doing. You looked up to see that Dean was standing at the head of the table with a type of look on his face that you’d seen plenty of times before while hunting with him, the man was about to take control of this situation to his own personal liking.

“Those djinn are just sitting out there, watching us. Everybody’s got to clear out.” Dean said. You furrowed your brow from the warning that the older Winchester had given all of you as you peered over your shoulder. Your eyes wandering to the window that overlooked the backyard and the decent mile of backwoods that would have made a perfect hideaway for someone who didn’t want to be noticed. Christian, however, seemed confused at how easily the man stepped into the room and took over a position that wasn’t designed for him. “They’re not gonna come in here until me, Sam and Y/N are alone.”

Samuel stared at the man with a bewildering look at the new proposition he was being given with little room to negotiate. Not to mention, how Dean was about to put himself in danger like this. It was far different from how he liked to run things. “So, what, I’m supposed to leave you here with no backup?”

“Dean’s right.” Sam agreed with his older brother as he looked down at you for a moment, knowing there was only one way to solve this problem. And that was dangling one of you into their faces to draw out the djinn. Not to mention, there were only three of them and seven of you. If left alone and cornered by one of them, at least it’d be a fair fight. “They’re smart. They’d wait till they weren’t outnumbered.”

“All right, we won’t be far. You call when they come, you hear?” Sam let out a sigh as he agreed, compromising with the three of you at this stupid plan he knew was the only real thing that would work. You nodded your head in agreement when all you decided to meet in the middle. The older man turned his attention to his crew and pointed a finger at the door. “All right, pack up. We’re out of here.”

The Campbells packed up everything they had once brought into the house and put it all back into the van, leaving only a few syringes of the antidote, Just in case. You stepped onto the porch with the boys, watching as the van pulled away as Christian waved from the passenger side, wishing all of you luck as the family disappeared into the darkness of the night. Letting out a quiet sigh, you turned your head away from the quiet street and to the brothers, knowing this was the first time in almost a year that all of you were back together again. On something that might have been considered a normal hunt. All of you headed back inside, waiting for this night to begin, and your bait to take what you were dangling in front of their faces.

Neither one of you really said anything when you were alone. What you were going to say after being a year apart should have been easy for all the time passed, but it seemed silence was the best option here. Dean wandered mostly through the house that he was familiar with as Sam kept to himself, you crossed your arms over your chest and found yourself standing in the kitchen again, your eyes stuck on the billboard with a collage of pictures of a happy family. You took notice most of them were of Ben and Lisa, happily smiling and living a life that was before Dean. But there was one picture of Dean and LIsa that caught your attention, and forced your eyes to stay there. A forced smile crept along the edges of your lips when you were reminded that he looked happy, that the year leading up to him finding himself home never happened.

Footsteps treading across the kitchen floors made you look away from the board and over your shoulder, catching sight of a familiar face. Dean passed you without saying a word, and like before, he went straight for the window, looking out to see if the scenery had changed like it did before about fifteen minutes after looking. You let out a quiet sigh and began to slowly walk forward to the man until the island kept you as your only barrier between you and him. You decided that it wouldn’t hurt to initiate a conversation you wanted to earlier, before you were interrupted by Samuel. It was a simple question, but you didn’t know exactly how to lead a topic that had to deal with being resurrected from the dead and ignoring him for almost a year.

“You okay?” You asked him, your tone coming out quiet.

Dean let out a chuckle from the question as he turned around in his spot on the floor, turning around so you could see him smile, but his expression was far from happiness at the situation that was unraveling all at once. “Oh, yeah. Yeah. No, this is…this is crazy.” He admitted. You felt responsible for everything that he was feeling as you rounded the corner and stopped until you were just a few feet away from him, reminding yourself to keep your distance. “I mean, you, Sammy, my grandfather. Whoever brought you back…”

“They don’t want to be found.” You muttered underneath your breath, finishing his thought as you placed your hand down on the counter and scoffed at the strange circumstances.

“Yeah, I get that.” Dean said. “But who are they, and what do they want? Why?”

“That’s a good question.” You agreed with how crappy this situation was as your foot moved one in front of the other, closing the gap between the both of you until a foot or so remained. You leaned yourself against the countertop and crossed your arms over your chest again. A small smile spread across your face as you let out a quiet laugh. “My God. It sort of makes things like last time a walk in the park, don’t you think? At least we knew who pulled me out of hell.”

“Do you remember it?” Dean asked a question that had been in the back of his mind since he’d laid eyes on you again. You furrowed your brow slightly from what he was asking as you gave him a bit of a confused look. “The cage.”

“Oh.” You dropped your eyes to the ground from the mention of the place where you had came from. Part of you knew that you could have lied and told him that you didn’t remember a single thing, but that felt wrong. You lied to him enough. For once, you were confiding in someone that you could call your own family. Someone that…had emotion. “Yeah, I do.”

“You want to talk about it?“ Dean asked. You let out a quiet laugh from his question that you thought was being passed off as something one might do out of politeness. But when you looked up at him, your smile slowly faltered when you saw him staring at you, with genuine empathy. You didn’t realize that his hand had settled itself on the countertop, and ever so slowly, as if it was an old habit that not even time could change, his fingers began to move to yours and ever so slowly, his feet followed in the process, as well. “If anyone can relate…”

"Dean, I don’t want to talk about it. I’m back. For good. I get to breathe fresh air, hunt with Sammy, see you again.” You said. Dean seemed a little bit offended that you were keeping your distance from him, still putting him at an arm’s length from the truth that he wanted to hear. You let out a quiet sigh and looked away from him. “Don’t worry, I have my…own ways of dealing with it. But what I don’t like doing is talking about it. Sam and I decided that it would be best to just leave it alone. He’s doing good for himself, too. Both of us are.”

Dean looked down at you with an expression that was slowly changing into what appeared to be frustration, sadness if you really looked hard enough. The man had spent an entire year fearing the worst of what went down below. Trapped in one place with the Devil himself and his scorned brother, Dean could only imagine what you and Sam went through. But you put up that damn wall again, giving him no chance to help, any way that he could to get close to you again. Even if it meant listening to all the gory details. He pushed himself off the countertop and turned his focus to the kitchen window again, trying his hardest not to let the truth of his own slip out.

He wanted to look at you and say everything of what he felt when he saw you. What he would do just to keep you here…how much he wanted to run off with you and Sam again, going back to a life he sometimes missed. Or how he kept the photograph of you underneath his pillow upstairs. Each of you had your special habits kept over the past year, and much as you lied straight through your teeth, each of you was still on one another’s minds. Now it was the battle of what the right thing to do was when these djinn decided to pop out of the darkness and make their move. However, when Dean noticed Sid and his wife acting out of character. He furrowed his brow and peered closer to the window when he watched his wife start to shake violently as she dropped to the ground and out of sight, Sid following behind just a second later. Dean knew that the both of them had no particular history of seizures, which meant one thing. These djinns were closer than any of you realized, and going after someone more of the innocent variety.

Before you realized what was happening, Dean bolted out of the kitchen, making you look over to the window to see a glimpse of a man dropping to the floor. You made the connections fast as he did and went racing after him to the living room, where Dean was snatching a few syringes out of the duffel bag Samuel left for you. The younger Winchester appeared out from wherever part of the corner he had been hiding in to see what the commotion was all about.

"Dean,” You managed to roughly grab the man by his arm and stop him in his track before he wasted two shots of the antidote you might need if you or the boys got attacked by these things. “They’re already dead. And you know it.”

“This is happening because of me!” Dean argued with you as he managed to snag his arm away from you, bolting for the front door faster than you or Sam could catch him.

Dean raced across the front lawn and managed to jump over the fence that separated both houses before running to the front door and swinging it open, hoping that he wasn’t too late. But the older Winchester had a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach when he saw Sid’s wife lying on the ground with hazy white eyes staring off into space. It was a sign that she was too far gone to be saved, yet it didn’t stop Dean from crouching down and pressing two fingers against the crook of her neck, only to feel just the warmth of her skin slowly leaving her body. The man let a curse word slip underneath his breath as he moved over to Sid, who looked to be in the same state as his wife, but, like he feared, there was no heartbeat to feel.

He should have known better. If the tables were turned, and if it were you or Sam trying to save these people, Dean would have said to leave them. Maybe the man was growing softer at the job after taking a year off, and it only showed with what happened next. Dean could feel someone’s grip around his arm, yanking him to his feet as the syringes dropped to the carpet. And he realized quickly on that it wasn’t you or his brother when the stranger managed to take him by surprise and pin him into place. He tried fighting the best that he could, but it was soon a game of one against two when he saw a familiar face walk into the living room, the waitress from the bar.

She gave him a friendly smile, seeming pleased at the position the hunter was placed in, under her control. Dean’s eyes wandered down to the syringes that he’d dropped, but it didn’t go unnoticed. The djinn made sure to purposely step on each of them, cracking the plastic and releasing the antidote. She was planning on making sure that he didn’t survive, unlike last time.

“You made it through the last trip, so how about a big, fat double dose?” She asked him. Dean felt her hand grip tightly around his neck, her nails digging through her skin. “Bad news–it’ll kill you. The good news? At least you’ll go fast. All though, can’t say the same for them.” She looked over her shoulder and to the window, looking in on the fight that was taking place in the Braden household. She watched as you tried to fight off her brother, Sam following quickly behind. She knew this was gonna be fun as she looked back over at Dean. “That’s for our father, you son of a bitch.”

You didn’t know what Dean was taking so long, but you were beginning to grow worried. You tried your hardest to fight off the djinn that managed to sneak its way into the house, causing all hell to break loose. You thought with two skilled hunters, he would have dropped dead in the matter of seconds. But all that was happening was breaking of furniture. You tried fighting the djinn off when you grabbed a lamp and used it as a lamp, while it hadn’t done the job, Sam was smart enough to find some use of those golf clubs he made a remark about earlier. He managed to corner the djinn right as you were about to be attacked, and without a single ounce of remorse, the man began swinging…and swinging, far past the point when you saw blood beginning to pool out of the djinn’s fatal blow to the head.

“Sam, we get it.” You muttered underneath your breath, still finding the man’s actions far different from what you had remembered of him. You let out a sigh of relief from seeing one djinn taken care of, only two more to go. As you decided to find a better weapon of your own and check on Dean, you stopped dead in your tracks when you spotted a woman in the path you were about to take, and another one standing in the front door. “Aw, hell.”

Dean found himself slowly coming back around from whatever the djinn did to him, just enough to slowly get back on his feet slightly. He felt like he was drunk, the room was spinning as everything felt fuzzy. He managed to figure out that he was still in Sid’s home, alone. Dean tried to walk, but he was wobbling, to the point where he felt like he was about to crash to the floor. But he heard what sounded like voices when he looked out the window and to the front of his house, only to see a pair of familiar faces that shouldn’t be back so soon.

“I just–I couldn’t sleep in that house.” Dean furrowed his brow to see that it was Lisa and Ben coming up the sidewalk and to the house. Why were they back so soon? Dean looked away and to the house, only to notice that you were standing in the kitchen as you grabbed a knife from the drawer and attempted to attack. The djinn were in the house. The one that you were in, the one that Lisa and Ben were about to walk into.

“It’s okay.” Lisa comforted her son, making Dean look away from you for a moment. “Don’t worry. We’ll call Dean.”

“Ah, don’t worry about them, Dean.” The older Winchester turned his head away from the other woman he’d been so focused on and to a familiar voice that came out of nowhere. Azazel stood right next to him, with a damn grin on his face that only meant trouble. Dean didn’t realize just yet all of this was a hallucination, a situation far from reality. “Worry about me.”

Dean looked back to the window when he noticed Azazel disappeared from his sight, only to pop back into the house, right behind you, who had gone unnoticed of what was about to happen. Yellow Eyes grinned as he waved at the man, knowing he’d gotten everyone that the man cornered, and it’d be only a matter of time until something terrible happened. Dean shouted a no on the top of his lungs as he tried to push himself to his feet, but it felt nearly impossible, a sudden dizzy feeling took over him, making the man go crashing to the floor. But where he ended up didn’t feel hard like he expected. Dean felt himself land on what felt soft and comfortable.

Ever so slowly, he opened up his eyes, not sure where he ended up for a second, but all he could see were stars…dozens of stars. Dean furrowed his brow as he began to feel himself coming back into a dizzy consciousness, realizing the stars that he was seeing were the plastic glow in the dark ones Ben still had above his ceiling. He was lying on the kid’s bed, not quite sure how he’d got here from Sid’s house. The sound of something roughly thumping against the wall, not once, but twice, made Dean grow a clear head to see what was going on. And it was his biggest nightmare about to come true.

Dean’s eyes widen when he noticed Azazel was standing in the doorway, and with a simple wave of a hand, he watched Lisa go flying against the right wall–and you soon found yourself being pinned against the opposite side. “"Eeny, meeny, miny moe, Catch a pretty girl by their toe. If one of them hollers, let them go…“ Azazel quietly sung underneath his breath as he looked at you and Lisa, as if he was wondering which one of you should suffer the consequences. He looked over at the older Winchester, as if he already knew the answer. "Well, we know which one can go…”

Dean quickly looked over to the left when he saw Azazel ever so slowly begin to lift his hand, dragging you up the wall, all though you desperately clung to the drywall as you frantically begged for this to stop. “Y/N, no!” Dean called out your name, hoping he could somehow stop it, but it was impossible. “Stop it!”’

“Y/N’s dead. What difference does it make? Oh, wait.” Aazael grinned to himself when he caught the man in a crossroads of a situation that he couldn’t ever solve. “Spent a year trying to forget one, and got yourself a nice gal that understands you. Both are nice catches, but you can’t have both. Only just the one. So why not let her go, Dean-o? Y/N’s not yours anymore. You chose safe, normal Lisa.”

“How could you do this to me?” Dean’s head went straight to the ceiling to see that you were pinned to it with your back pressed against it, just like his mother. You began to let out a laugh as your eyes flickered black. “This is all your fault. You should have tried harder to save me. But you didn’t. I ended up like mommy. Didn’t I, Dean? Who’s to say that Lisa won’t end up with the same fate? Or maybe…” Your eyes went back to normal when you let out a painful cry, your shirt around the stomach area began to grow red from blood. “You’ll go running off to her when he kills me again.”

"This–this is something else. Do you know how much fun it was to pull your strings back then? I had prime real estate over your baby brother and gal. But now you thought you were out for good. Sorry, kiddo. That’s not how it works.” Azazel said. “There’s something coming for the both of them, but you gotta choose. But why bother? You tried to save Y/N, and look how that turned out. Who’s to say Lisa won’t share the same fate? Who’s to say I won’t go coming for Ben?”

“It’s all your fault.” Your words echoed in his head like a haunting nightmare.

“Can’t stop it.” Azazel reminded the man.

Dean could feel himself letting out your name when he felt a sudden rush of warmth hit him, the ceiling engulfing in flames, followed by your screams of pain. It all felt so real. But he didn’t realize until he felt a sudden stabbing sensation rush through his chest. And the sounds of a voice that he heard just a few seconds before. “Hey, come on…that’s it…” Dean’s eyes opened ever so slightly to see a blurry figure hovering over him. Your hands reached up to cup his face as you gave him a smile, suddenly filled with relief to see that Dean was reacting well to the antidote again.

\+ + +

You knew it would take more than just an apology to clean up this mess, but he reassured you that he would take care of it. Dawn was now beginning to settle in the quiet neighborhood that would soon wake to hearing of their neighbors that passed away suddenly while they were sleeping. Samuel came back in the nick of time to save you and Sam from the djinns that were harder to take down than you realized. Dean had been put in the unfortunate situation of being dosed yet again, but you had made it just in time to give him another shot, waking him from the terrors that you could only imagine what he saw. But now that the hunt was over, it was time for you and Sam to hit the road, without one less person.

You leaned against the car as you looked to the front door, watching as the brothers headed out after you gave them a minute to talk. You knew Sam wanted Dean back on the road, missing the bond the three of you had, but you had a feeling that the older Winchester wouldn’t crack. And you hoped that he wouldn’t. Not that you wouldn’t give anything to have him back with you again like old times. But he had a life here, he was helping raise a child that needed a father figure in his life. And he had Lisa, the woman that took him in, after everything. You pushed yourself off when Dean began walking towards you, giving a goodbye that would be bitter, and not a single ounce of sweet for the both of you.

“Make sure he stays out of trouble, okay?” Dean tried to start off a goodbye that wasn’t the least bit sad as he lightly slapped Sam on the shoulder, who was going for the driver’s side door as you began walking forward. Your lips stretched into a smile as you nodded your head. “And don’t think this is the last time I’m gonna see either one of you, okay? Don’t be a stranger.”

“I…” You were about to agree with the plan as you were about to smile, only you winced when you heard Sam honk the horn. You gritted your teeth as you let out a quiet sigh. “I’ll see you around, Dean. Tell Lisa we’re sorry about the damage.”

The older Winchester watched as you were about to walk to the car to his suddenly impatient brother, but before you did, you decided not to end a goodbye on such short terms. You walked over to him and wrapped your arms around his body one last time, the both of you sharing a hug, Dean couldn’t resist when he squeezed you closer to him, inhaling the sweet scent that he might never really get to smell again. You quickly pressed your lips against his cheek, softly kissing his skin as you muttered a goodbye. Dean felt like a little school boy from such a simple move. You stepped away from him as you gave him a smile and a wave, all before stepping into the passenger side of the car, and within seconds, you and his brother were gone.


	2. Two and a Half Men.

People would go to great length to keep people they loved safe. But, no matter what, tragedy can strike at anytime. And that was the tricky thing about life. Sometimes it can be casual and comfortable, settling you into a routine that almost feels a bit boring, and other times, it kicks you straight in the teeth from how brutal it could be. You can never predict when danger comes. Until you went on the road and started hunting, you lived a relatively quiet life. The only dangers of life you heard were from the news you occasionally watched and the stories the Winchesters boys told you on the occasions they stayed with you. Life was quiet, even a little boring back in the day. Now you spent your days hunting, and the nights by your lonesome. Or, if you were feeling desperate, slip into bed with someone you onced called your best friend. The lines felt a bit blurry of where you ended up with him after coming back from the dead.   
  
You knew you had the options of going back to a life you knew before; a nice, cozy home with empty halls and an empty bed. But that wasn’t for you. Dean decided that’s what he wanted to do. He wanted to start fresh. Pick a new location to live that was miles away from the house that was left with broken furniture and specs of blood that Dean spent a few hours trying to clean up so Lisa wouldn’t notice. She did, eventually. The woman didn’t fuss over the broken lamps or stained carpet. It was just things, long as he was okay, that’s all that mattered. Dean wished he could see things with the optimistic attitude like she had. But he cared. He looked at that little spot of blood over and over again every morning for three days everything that happened. It was a constant reminder of what kind of danger he was putting the people he loved in. And how easy history could repeat itself on him if he wasn’t careful enough.   
  
He couldn’t save you, he couldn’t stop his brother from taking the swan dive. And the little spot of blood on the floor made him feel the same gut wrenching anxiety when he realized that Lisa and Ben were put in danger like this. The people he swore to protect, the people that he cared for as they had did for him. It could have been their blood he saw. Dean couldn’t let history repeat itself on this family. So, after looking around, he found a nice neighborhood a few states away. And called to rent a house before he even asked Lisa. He couldn’t be too safe, anymore.    
  
  
\+ + +   
  
At the age of twenty-nine, you could have had a ring on your finger and a stable job with a degree in some major you went to college for along with mortgaging a house in one of the nice neighborhoods that you had been visiting over the past week. But their manicured lawns and newest minivans in the driveways couldn’t stop the happy families from facing a terrible danger in this quiet town. Something was going on here. Over the past several days you had been following the lead of couples being brutally slaughtered. But that wasn’t the worst of it. Each of them had been new parents of a sixth month old child. And each of them had disappeared without a trace.   
  
You and Sam had been diligent on trying to track this case closely, hoping to find some lead at the next crime scene to figure out who this baby napper was. But you were too late this time. You let out a sigh when you stared at a flyer of the most recent victim of a sixth month old that vanished without a trace, his parents murdered in the house just behind you. The police had been here for the past hour, but even with the help of some fake badges and formal clothing, the detective working the case couldn’t give you any sort of new information from the previous cases that you had been working. It was like someone was sticking to the same routine. But leaving no trace to make a lead that was even the remotely bit useful for anyone.   
  
“Where’d you find them, again?” You managed to take your gaze away from the flyer and to the detective you had been talking to for the past few minutes, hoping to find some new information.   
  
“We found the parents upstairs. Pretty brutal.” He said, nodding his head to the house behind you with the yellow police tape blocking out any citizen that didn’t have a badge. You watched as his face grimaced as he began to recall the scene. You asked him if this could have been a possible break in, the detective shook his head at the theory. “No, alarm never went off.”   
  
“Any leads on the baby?” Sam asked, his eyes lingering to the photocopied picture of the baby for a moment. The detective answered with a no, prompting the younger Winchester to appear worried as he furrowed his brow even more. “So, what do you think? You think it’s okay? Alive?”   
  
The detective answered with an honest hunch, “I did yesterday.”   
  
You let out another quiet sigh from how this situation didn’t seem to show any signs of a happy ending. Any hunt with children always sent you on edge, and with the fact that you had several vanishing into thin air only made you feel more tense of what this outcome was going to be. If there was something menacing going on here, time wasn’t on your side. You thanked the detective for helping you and Sam out before you decided to see what the house could offer the both of you in terms of evidence that might help figure out what was going on here. But you were doubtful when you ducked underneath the yellow police tape and headed inside.   
  
\+ + +   
  
You spent a good hour and a half going through every square foot of that home, scanning the rooms thoroughly with the EMF reader and keeping in mind for any traces of sulfur. Hell, you even kept an eye out for anything the police might have missed considering how the son of a bitch got into the house to murder the couple and steal a baby. But there was nothing. No emf, no sulfur, not even a broken window. Whoever this was just slipped into a place with the doors and windows locked. Maybe the victims knew their killer. But you made sure to cross off that possible motive early on. Nobody knew each other, the only thing they had in common were being parents to sixth month old children.   
  
You and Sam headed out of the house a short while after you decided there was really nothing else here to look at, like the rest of the crime scenes, you left more confused and angry like before. You gave a smile to the detective you previously talked to and pulled out your phone, deciding to call Samuel and give him the frustrating update.    
  
“Hey. Sam and I have been all over this. No sulfur. No EMF. Hell, not even a drop of blood or fingerprints.” You said, ducking below the police tape and following behind the younger Winchester. “I hate to say this, but I’m starting to think this isn’t our kind of thing.”   
  
“Four couples slaughtered in one part of the state within days of each other. That’s four babies taken from locked houses. Damn it!” Samuel cursed underneath his breath over the line, probably because he was trying to work this new thing called a laptop he had an entire year to learn. But you couldn’t teach an old dog new tricks. “Explain to me how any version of that is natural.”   
  
“Honestly, wish I had some answers. This feels all sorts of wrong to me. And way too gruesome to be one of those Lifetime movies where a deranged woman befriends a pregnant lady and then kills her for the baby.” You said, mindlessly speaking with a pop culture reference that made the man on the other line fall silent. “Never mind. I think it’s safe to say this one might be for the police. Nothing screams monster…well, our kind, at least.”   
  
“Okay, so either we’ve got monsters grabbing babies to make baby stew, or we’ve got a bunch of psychotic yokels grabbing babies to make baby stew. Either way, it’s baby stew, which is bad.” Samuel said, painting a gruesome picture that made you grimace at the thought of what might really be going on here.    
  
“Yeah…” You agreed with the older man as you slowly looked away from the house across the street and to your friend, who was standing on the sidewalk with a bored looking expression on his face. You furrowed your brow as you placed your hand over the receiver over the phone, all too tempted to call the younger man on his behavior. “Sam, am I boring you, by chance? Do you have some place to be?”   
  
“What? No.” Sam mumbled, his face scrunching up from your sudden hostile behavior. “I get it, Y/N. We’re working the case. I’m focused as you are.”   
  
“Good.” You grumbled underneath your breath. You averted your gaze away for a moment to focus your attention back to the conversation with Samuel, but you couldn’t help yourself when you made a remark about the younger Winchester’s behavior that had been far different the past year from the man you had remembered from a life before. A year ago if he was working this case he was be focused, desperate to find some sort of answer to what the hell was going on here. Now he seemed distant, and more nonchalant than you were comfortable with. “You know, sometimes I wonder about you, Sammy.”   
  
“Sometimes I wonder about me too.” You looked at the man from the corner of your eye when you heard Sam whisper a comment to himself, but you heard every part of it. You let out a quiet sigh and finally brought your attention back to Samuel as you dropped your hand back down to your side to continue speaking.   
  
“Well, all of us should go back over everything, see if there’s anything we missed.”  You suggested as you began looking around the outside of the home, curious to see if the police might have missed anything. You saw was mostly just a garden, the wife must have had a green thumb along with recently mowed lawn. But you noticed the sign for an alarm company, you felt a spark ignite in your head. “Hey, detective said the alarm in the house never went off.  Could you see if anybody else had a security system from Harper Caine Security.”   
  
“Yeah. Sure.” Samuel agreed, but he sounded the least bit enthusiastic about it. “Any chance I get to hop on a computer.”   
  
You let out a quiet chuckle and thanked the man for his help before ending the call. You shoved the phone back into your pocket and dropped the smile when you looked over at Sam. Nodding your head to the car, you followed behind him, knowing the both of you had your own work to do to figure out what the hell was going on here.   
  
\+ + +   
  
A monster’s work was truly never done, and neither was yours until you killed it once and for all. Samuel managed to find a perfect match with the same security company not too long after you had called him earlier in the day. There was another couple not too far away from the previous home you had visited. And conveniently enough, they happened to have a sixth month old baby at home. You and Sam decided it was your best lead to catch this thing off guard. In the dead of night, you narrowed your eyes as you leaned forward in the passenger’s seat to look to see the house across the street. The porch light was off and there was no light coming from any of the windows, which lead you to a few conclusions. Either the family was peacefully sleeping, or you were a little too late for the party.   
  
Either way, you weren’t leaving this place until you were sure the baby inside was safe. You and Sam headed out of the car and stopped to make a quick stop to the trunk, making sure to bring the obligatory guns and flashlights for safety precaution. You didn’t know what, or who, the hell you were about to come in contact with when you stepped inside the house. Whatever it was, it wasn’t snatching another baby on your watch if you could stop it. You concealed the weapon into the back of your jeans as you cautiously looked over your shoulder, making sure there wasn’t any neighbors walking their dog at three in the morning. When the coast was clear, you and Sam began walking toward the house, and passing by the same security system that was nothing more than decoration at this point.   
  
Sam did the honors of picking the lock and swinging open the front door. with ease. Both of you waited for a moment to hear any sort of noise that sounded like regular activity, or footsteps to the front door when someone realized it had opened. You were greeted with silence. Drawing out your gun and flashlight, you began to follow behind, quietly maneuvering around the house until you were greeted with the gruesome slight of what you were expecting to see. You winced to see the father sitting in his recliner, throat slashes with his shirt soaked in blood. His wife laid at his feet, she was flat on her back, probably killed after she saw her attacker and tried to make a run for it. However, what was far different from the other crime scenes were a trail of bloody footprints. You looked over at Sam and raised your brow in curiosity.     
  
The both of you did the next logical step; you followed the bloody footsteps to see where they lead. You walked into what appeared to be the dining room, but in a strange turn of events, the footsteps moved in two directions, straightforward and upstairs. Sam nodded his head to the stairs, deciding to go that route, leaving you alone to inspect the rest of the downstairs by yourself. Inhaling a deep breath, you set your eyes on the first door you had spotted to your right and decided to start there. Ever so slowly, you reached out your free hand turned the knob, all before swinging opening the door and got ready to aim. But there was nothing there. You let out the quietest scoff when you were almost spooked out by a broom closet.   
  
Shutting the door, you began looking around the room again, wondering where a baby snatcher would be hiding. You looked over your shoulder to see there was a door open ever so slightly, and when your eyes dropped to the floor, you noticed the bloody footprints lead directly into the room. You turned your body around and got ready to open up the door even wider to step inside, but it seemed somebody didn’t like that. You barely made it a step before you felt someone place their hands on your chest and you went flying backwards, landing roughly on the floor and your gun went scattering across the floor.   
  
“Sam—” Your first instinct was to call out the younger Winchester’s name to inform him that you had found the baby snatcher. But you were cut off when you felt a hand try to put his grubby fingers near your mouth to silence you. You retaliated by elbowing him in the stomach and swinging your leg up, kicking him at least a foot back and gave you enough time to shout, "Get your hands off me, you son of a bitch!”   
  
You quickly grabbed the knife from your pocket and flicked it open, slashing it across the man’s arm when he tried to attack you again. A simple cut across the forearm made his skin start to sizzle from the contact of pure silver. Your eyes widened in a bit surprise from the reaction as you quickly got ready to stab him for good to stop this once and for all, but it seemed the creature didn’t want to put up a fight. You got back to your feet and watched as he scurried off. You were tempted to follow after, but you looked over at the room he came out of, wondering if he forgot something. There was no way to know for sure until you went looking for yourself.   
  
You cautiously began to make your way into the kitchen as you opened the door and made your way across the wooden floorboards, trying your hardest to be quiet as possible, not sure if the man was working with a partner. Your grip around the knife tightened when you heard the sound of very soft clattering echo across the room, and to the laundry room nestled in the other side. It could have been a cat, it could have been another monster hiding. You quietly made your way over to the table from where the noises were coming from and dropped yourself to a crouch. You counted down to three as you positioned the knife, getting ready to attack. But what you saw when you lifted up the tablecloth was something of happiness, and a bit of despair.   
  
“Hi there, cutie.” You were greeted with the sight of a baby boy, who appeared to have been fine when you took a moment to look him over. Your lips stretched into a warm smile as you quickly put your knife down and reached out to grab him. Cradling him in your arms, you began to rock him back and forth, quietly shushing him as you heard him beginning to start crying. You heard footsteps across the floor, and just a second later, you were greeted with Sam again…who didn’t look the least bit happy at what you were holding. “Congratulations, Sammy. It’s a boy.”   
  
\+ + +   
  
This wasn’t good. Not good at all. But you didn’t think it would have required the help of Dean, Sam thought differently. You checked the rearview mirror every few seconds to see the baby was quiet as the younger Winchester raced down the empty highway. You had tried to tell him that Dean wasn’t going to take the bait and come out for this. He was out for good. The man had proved it when he packed up Lisa and Ben to another state, wanting to start fresh. Sam wanted to call his brother. The more help you had on this hunt, the better. You punched in the older Winchester’s new number and made sure to put it on speaker, not giving Sam a chance to talk while driving with an infant in the car. He rolled his eyes from your behavior.   
  
“Sam?” Dean’s worried voice filled the car, he picked up after one ring.   
  
“Y/N and I need your help. Now. We’re working this job.” Sam tried to explain the situation to his older brother, but the man didn’t want to hear it. And the younger Winchester wasn’t going to take no for an answer. “Look, I just need you with me on this. Okay?”   
  
“I’m out. I’m staying out.” Dean said. “You’ve got Y/N. You should be covered.”   
  
“Please. She’s only so useful. Make an exception.” Sam nearly hissed at the man, not in the mood to have an argument over the phone. You tossed the man a dirty glare from his remark as he looked to the rearview mirror, spotting the same face that made him grimace and look back to the road. “Look, we’re thirty minutes away. And I will drive to your door if you don’t meet us.”   
  
“What’s so nuts you gotta threaten a damn drive-by?”   
  
\+ + +   
  
He honestly thought you were joking at first, but he was still going to meet you to see it with his own two eyes. You crossed your arms over your chest and leaned against the hood of Sam’s car, watching as a pale tan truck began to slowly pull up to the dirt road all of you had agreed to meet. Dean didn’t seem the least bit happy when he got out of the truck to greet you and his brother so late at night. He walked forward to the both of you and asked where it was.   
  
“Strapped down in the backseat.” You said, nodding your head to the back of the car. Pushing yourself to your feet, you followed behind as Dean headed to see this for himself. And all it took was one simple glance to see that you were right about what you said. There was, in fact, a sixth month old baby currently occupying the backseat while sitting in his carseat. The older Winchester didn’t seem the least bit amused from what was going on. You gave him a smile at what you dragged him into. “Welcome to the party, Guttenberg.”   
  
\+ + +   
  
It was the next morning after Dean agreed to meet you and do this case, but there was a few things he needed to do before he could leave Lisa and Ben alone. You weren’t personally happy with the idea of dragging the older Winchester out into the field again when he had a family to take care of now. But you had to admit, with a baby now in your hands, you had to worry about its safety and someone constantly looking out for him. You hadn’t taken your eyes off of him ever since he came into your possession. While you waited for Dean to meet you, you peeked into the backseat window and waved at him, smiling when his lips stretched ever so slightly, showing off his toothless smile. Sam kept his distance, only giving it glances every so often to make sure it was still alive and breathing.   
  
You looked away from the window when you saw Dean’s truck finally pull up, meeting you again on the outskirts of town so he could ditch his truck for a few days. He grabbed his duffel bag full of clothes and headed forward. “So,” He didn’t waste any breath in getting down to business as he made his way to the trunk to stash his belongings. “What do we know about this thing?”   
  
“Well, uh, it was fast. And it freaked when Y/N cut it with silver.” Sam explained the situation as he followed behind, knowing the information of this monster being affected by silver narrowed it down to about everything nasty out there. “We got a ghoul, a zombie, a shifter or about a dozen other things.”   
  
“I don’t recall seeing babynapping in the profile.” Dean said. You scoffed underneath your breath and opened up the backseat door, knowing there was one thing he was right about. You made sure, yet again, the baby was secured tightly in the car seat. You smiled and began to talk to him in a cooing and soft voice. Dean looked over his shoulder to see that he was just staring at you with not much of an expression. “Well, feel free to speak up if you know anything.”   
  
“That would make our lives so much better. Yes, it would. Huh, cutie?” You asked the baby as he began to smile ever so slightly from Dean’s question. You let out a quiet laugh and reached out to quietly play with him, but you became distracted for a moment when you heard a quiet alarm going off. “Seatbelt, Dean.”   
  
“What am I in, third grade?” The oldest Winchester grumbled, not seeming the least bit happy when he was forced to take a safety precaution. “A car should drive, not be a bitch.”   
  
You were about to tell Dean to watch his language around the baby, but it seemed that he was rather amused. He began to babble quietly and made this littlest noise that sounded like he was trying to blow out air. “Crap.” You muttered underneath your breath, suddenly it hit you of how unprepared the three of you were. “We’re gonna need to get some supplies.”   
  
“We have a whole arsenal in the trunk, Y/N.” Sam said.   
  
“What? No, that’s not what I’m talking about.” You said, shaking your head. “Baby supplies.”   
  
You watched as the brothers’ faces began to drop ever so slightly at the realization of how much harder this was going to be than you expected. Sam turned the car on and hit the gas, hitting the nearest store for whatever the three of you were going to need to keep this thing alive. You let out a quiet sigh and looked at the baby for a moment. He stared at you, and lucky for him, he had no clue of what the hell was going on here. 

 

\+ + +

 

Never in your entire life did you think you’d be down the baby aisle of the grocery store, even more, would you be picking up supplies to keep one alive. But, in this line of work, there was a first time for everything. You carried the baby into the store and buckled him safely into one of those carts with a seat attached and put Sam on duty to push the car. It took you a minute before you finally found the proper aisle to get all the things you would need to help take care of this baby. You began to eye all the different sort of products, making a mental note of what you might need. It’d been a very long time since you had taken care of a child, but it didn’t mean you forgot the basics of what you would need.   
  
“Okay. I’m pretty sure there’s some kind of jelly you’re supposed to put on their butt.” Dean was right next to you, examining all of the products with a close inspection, trying to compile his own list of supplies.   
  
“It’s for diaper rashes.” You noted, pretty sure you wouldn’t need it. Sam found a little yellow box and plucked it off the shelf, Dean nodded his head and pointed a finger at the product. You rolled your eyes and grabbed a few things like formula into the cart before finding at least few dozen options of baby food. Grabbing a few jars, you held them up to the baby. “Okay, bud. Do you want green beans or turkey and squash?”   
  
Your response was a blank stare, you let out a quiet sigh and ditched the choices, moving to something a little bit sweeter, in hopes that he might eat it later. You made sure to grab a thing of bottles and even a pacifier, not sure if you might need it to calm down the baby.   
  
“So how do you guys know all of this?” Sam asked, watching as you and his brother grabbed all sorts of things like you’d done this before.   
  
“Babysitting. Lots and lots of babysitting.” You said, grabbing an unscented packs of baby wipes as Dean grabbed a box of diapers. “I had a neighbor who had a newborn, too. That’s how I earned most of my money as a kid.”   
  
“And Lisa’s got a baby niece. So I’ve been on a few milk runs myself.” Dean said. He reached out to grab something else that might have been of use. Sam looked at his brother with a bit of an amused expression as he muttered something underneath his breath. Dean, however, didn’t find it all that funny. “Shut it.”   
  
“I said, ‘huh.’”   
  
“I said, ‘shut it.’”   
  
The boys were quickly pulled away from their petty argument when they heard a sound they had been dreading, it was the sounds of whimpers coming from the baby. You winced when you saw the familiar unpleasant look start to settle in his face. The baby turned his head to look away from you, who was trying your hardest to cheer up the best that you could, to Dean. Your smile began to falture as the baby clenched his tiny little fists and rubbed his face, letting out another whine. It was the telltale sign someone wasn’t the least bit happy, and if you weren’t quick, he was going to let everyone know by screaming on the top of his lungs.   
  
“All right, we gotta get moving.” You warned the boys. “We got the waterworks in T-minus-ten.”     
  
You had to admit, taking care of the baby was easy, you were lucky to have little moments of him crying and being fussy…until this moment—until you came that person.You sympathized for the women who tried to balance normal chores like shopping with babies and kids of their own who cried because they were hungry or threw temper tantrums because they couldn’t have a candy bar they wanted. Because everyone was that child at point in their life. But the world wasn’t filled with people who understood. They would rather look, waiting for you to shut up a child that wasn’t even yours.   
  
You could feel the glares and judgmental stares coming from customers and employees as the baby let out a cry and his eyes filled with tears. You and Dean tried your hardest to calm him down by soothing him with calm words and baby noises, but he wasn’t having it. Sam was getting pissed himself. He hated your idea of bringing the thing along in the first place.   
  
“Y/N, make it stop.” Sam hissed at you. You scoffed and looked at him with a glare of your own, he slammed a few products down on the belt, causing the cashier to give the three of you a side eye that went unnoticed. You tilted your head to the side and, with a sarcastic tone, asked him how you could possibly do that. “Everyone’s staring at us like we’re child abusers. Feed it.”   
  
“We already fed it, genius.” You said. Sam rolled his eyes in frustration from your lack of help and look to his brother, hopeful that he might have some answers. Dean shrugged his shoulders, seeming clueless as ever. You looked down at the baby and came up with a possible theory. “Maybe he needs a diaper change, that’s all.”   
  
“Oh, God,” Sam suddenly appeared horrified at the thought. “I hope not.”   
  
You could feel a sudden audience upon you when the baby cried even louder, you looked over your shoulder and gave an old man a dirty glare from how he was looking at you. Dean decided to be the brave one by unclipping the baby from the seat to check for himself if the baby was in fact wet, or worse, had a full diaper. He wasn’t quite sure what he was doing when he held the baby at arms length, moving it around slightly, he was happy to see there wasn’t any wet marks. Dean’s next big solution to calm down the baby was to mimic him, letting out a mocking cry. You let out a frustrated sigh, trying your hardest to avoid smacking the man upside the head from how he was acting.   
  
“Aw. What’s the matter?” You turned your head to see an older woman parked herself right next to you, poking herself into a situation that didn’t involve her. You gave her a friendly smile and tried to brush off her curiosity with a simple answer of a fussy baby. You gave her a smile a nd looked at Dean, getting ready for him to hand over the baby to you. But the woman was insist with asking questions. “What’s his name?”   
  
“Bobby.”   
  
“John.”   
  
“Bobby John.” You answered for her, putting both names together as you smiled again.   
  
“Hi, Bobby John. Aren’t you handsome? May I?” The woman seemed rather friendly from what she asked. You opened your mouth and outstretched your arms to take the baby, getting ready to deny her rather forward request. But you found yourself giving her a tight smile when she plucked the baby right out of Dean’s arms. She cradled the baby in her arms, and like she had the magic touch, the baby suddenly fell quiet. “I see, now, Bobby John’s a little wet. Now, no offense, but you two look exhausted. First time parents, I suppose?”   
  
“Adopted parents. My…wife and I’ve been taking care of him for the past few weeks.” Dean said to the woman, letting out a quiet laugh from the story that he was spinning. Your lips stretched into a faint smile when the woman’s gaze fell in your direction. It took everything in you not to show your displeasure from what the older Winchester said. “Yeah. Bobby John sort of landed in our lap. But he is a handful, that is for sure. Right, sweetheart?”   
  
“I don’t mind giving you two a break for a few minutes.” The woman offered. “Lord knows I’ve changed a million diapers.”   
  
“Well, uh,” You let out a quiet chuckle from her bold, and quite frankly, little weird offer to get the baby off your hands for a task that you could do just fine yourself. You looked over your shoulder for a moment and stare at a security camera footage, your eyes wandering to the one that was of you and the woman. You could feel your grip around the cart going knuckle white when you saw something that disturb you. You quickly looked over the woman and gave her a friendly smile, putting on an act so she wouldn’t notice what you discovered. “That’s a really nice offer, thank you, but, um, I think we’ve got it from here. I’m no stranger myself to a wet diaper.”   
  
“Oh, it’s nothing, dear.” The woman reassured you. “Happy to help.”   
  
“That’s sweet, really.” You chuckled out, playing along to her little game for a few seconds longer as you outstretched your arms. “Listen, granny—you have five seconds to hand over the baby or I’m going to stab you in the neck.”   
  
"Y/N.” Sam whispered your name in a surprised tone, his brow furrowing from how blunt and protective you were being to a woman that seemed harmless enough. But appearances could be deceiving to the human eye.   
  
Pointing a finger over your shoulder, the brothers looked at the security monitor, only to discover the same horror as you had—those glowing white eyes, it meant the woman holding Bobby John was a shapeshifter. And she wasn’t about to leave here empty handed. She bolted around the register and tried to make a run for it, but Dean was faster than the grandmother she posed herself as. You quickly found yourself going for the opposite direction, leaving Sam in the dust for a moment as you ran fast as you possibly could, your eyes never leaving the baby. Dean managed to grab ahold of the shifter by her arm—only for a chunk of her skin to fall off. He grimaced and quickly flicked off the unwanted present. But it was a good enough of a distraction to put the shifter a few seconds ahead of him. It looked like she was about to make a getaway, until you came out of nowhere, slamming yourself directly in front of her, catching her off guard.   
  
You managed to grab the baby straight of her arms and backed away quickly, managing to run out of the exit with Sam behind you. Before the shifter could race after you, Dean tackled her to the ground, giving you enough time to head to the car and buckle up Bobby John best that you could before you went back for the older Winchester. Dean managed to escape when Sam pulled the car up to the entrance and throw himself into the backseat with you and the baby. Sam slammed on the gas pedal and set the car going forward, leaving the shifter as a small object you stared at from the backseat window, driving off to safety.   
  
\+ + +   
  
Fifteen minutes into the drive, and you were farther away from the shifter than you had been before, and you were still struggling to keep Bobby John happy as you tried to buckle him up, Dean insisted on trying, causing you to roll your eyes in frustration and sit back, letting him try to figure this thing out for himself. The baby continued to fuss around, letting out quiet whimpers and rubbed his face, signaling that someone was in need of a diaper change and a nap followed right after. But right now you were concerned on getting the baby somewhere safe until you could figure out what was going on here.   
  
“The hell’s a shifter want with a baby, anyway?” Dean asked. He struggled himself to figure out how all of these straps made sense, and it wasn’t helping that Bobby John was wiggling around, fussing and making things make complicated. You shrugged your shoulders from the lack of answers. “And how the hell did it find us? Ah, who the hell designed this thing, NASA?”   
  
“It could have been following me this whole time.” Sam theorized, thinking the shifter might not have ran off after you had cut him with the knife. You rolled your eyes from Dean’s attempt as you decided to take one last go at it. “Since the baby’s house.”   
  
“We gotta get off the road. Get Bobby John here someplace safe.” You said. You let out a victory laugh when you managed to clip everything into place and adjust the straps. But the baby wasn’t the least bit happy when he let out a warning cry. “Hey, it’s okay. We’ll get you out of that soggy diaper in one time. You’d like that, huh? That’s right.”   
  
Your lips stretched into a smile when you watched Bobby John quickly change his tone when you began to speak in a calming tone, his crying soon changed into the quiet sounds of baby gibberish that made your smile grow even more. You bent down slightly for a moment, as your hair shifted slightly in your face, Bobby John took it as an opportunity to grab a fist full of it in his tiny fingers and yanked. You tried your hardest not to let out an involuntary yell from the unexpected pain. When you opened your eyes, Bobby John was staring at you with a toothless grin, seeming proud of himself for what he did.   
  
\+ + +   
  
One booked motel room on the opposite side of town and one successful shopping trip later, you finally managed to get around to that soggy diaper that soon changed into something extra. You grimaced as you changed the baby the best that you could. Dean helped much as he could, distracting Bobby John with a few toys you had grabbed from the house. But the baby kept trying to wiggle itself away, seeming to be over the process of getting himself changed.   
  
“Okay. All right, you know what? I’ll pay you money if you sit still.” The older Winchester tried to bribe the baby as he looked over your shoulder, trying to figure out how to get him to lay still for just a few minutes longer. Sam, who sat at the table and kept himself far away from the baby, couldn’t help himself but laugh at the sight of you and his brother occupied with Bobby John. He watched the baby fussed for a little while longer before you finally finished him up. You stepped away from him, grabbing the messy diaper and wipes and threw them into a plastic bag. Dean took over when you headed for the bathroom to wash your hands. He picked up the baby and decided that it was nap time. “All right. You are golden, Bobby John. Time to hit the hay.”   
  
You emerged from the bathroom a few moments later with a towel in your hands. A smile began to creep at the ends of your lips at seeing the sight of Dean holding the baby. Bobby John was resting his head on his shoulder, seeming rather comforted by the song Dean was humming. His brother couldn’t help but make a remark that it was only going to make it more cranky. However, from your point of view, the baby seemed rather content. You leaned yourself against the doorframe, suddenly trying your hardest to hide the ache in your chest at the sight that would never be for you. Not that’d you ever wanted to be a mother, it was the sight of Dean holding the baby that made you think of a broken promise the two of you made before. Before you died and gone to the cage. Before you told him to run off to Lisa.   
  
“Okay. If I put you down, you gonna be a man about it? Hmm?” Dean asked. He ever so gently placed the baby into the crib and quickly stepped away. A grin spread across his lips at the sight of Bobby John’s peacefully sleeping face, all thanks to him. “Well, look at that.”   
  
You tossed the towel to the sink and headed over, wanting to see the baby’s sleeping face for yourself. Peering over the crib, you were rather surprised to see that he was, in fact, out like a light. “Huh.” Sam’s remark caused you to look away from the baby and to him. You gave him a look as you began walking over to the blanket you laid out to change Bobby John. “You two are, uh, actually…not awful at this.”   
  
“Please.” Dean scoffed, thinking his effort was minimal at best. “I’m barely keeping that thing alive. Y/N’s the one who’s doing all the hard work here.”   
  
“No, no, no, seriously. Who would have thought the two of you would make much a good set of parents. You got a whole Dr. Huxtable vibe coming off of you.“ Sam said, seeming to be rather surprised at how well his brother was handling this. You headed over to the table that he was sitting at while Dean occupied himself with folding up the blanket now the both of you didn’t need it. You bent over to grab the bottle filled with formula that Bobby John had drank half of. You decided to put it in the small fridge for now so it wouldn’t spoil. Your eyes wandered over to Sam, who had been staring at you intently, watching you with a look in in his eye that you had seen on occasion, in private. "And Y/N, who knew you were such a MILF.”   
  
"Hey, Dean—put this in the fridge.” You quickly pretended like nothing happened, quickly turning around on your heels and throwing the bottle at the man, giving him seconds to catch the object before it could fall to the ground. The man didn’t move from his spot just yet. He suddenly looked at you two like he heard what his brother just said, despite the man whispering it underneath his breath for you to hear. You sat down and pretended like nothing happened, making him assume that he was just hearing things. You decided to change the subject, letting it linger on Dean for a little while. “Sam’s right. You’re, like, father material. It’s suits you.”   
  
“Yeah, well, I kind of hoad to be lately, you know? Sink or swim, right?” Dean headed over to the fridge and put the bottle inside. You nodded your head slowly, wondering if he meant by Ben, and of course, he was. He grabbed himself a much needed glass of whiskey as he leaned himself against the countertop, happy to have a five minute break. “I mean, I know he’s not my kid…but I don’t know, I’m starting to feel like, yeah, he is. When I think about the way we grew up, I don’t know, I feel like I have a chance to do something different with Ben, you know?”   
  
Your lips stretched into a smile at hearing him talk about the kid. It took a real, mature person to step up to the role of a parent for someone who had been missing one their entire life. You were rather happy to see that he wanted to be that for Ben. But it seemed your optimism wasn’t as shared with someone else. Sam shifted around a few documents, trying to appear that he was working diligently, all while a remark slipped out from his mouth.   
  
“You sure about that?” Sam’s question made you and the older Winchester look at the man with a bit of a funny expression. You, who had been hiding any sort of doubt that this relationship between Lisa and Dean would end in misery, didn’t seem to share the same realistic sort of attitude that Sam had. The younger man let out a sigh, hating to have to be the one to pull the both of you out of the clouds and back down to reality. “Look, you clearly care about the kid. But moving them around…keeping them on lockdown—I mean, you do have them on lockdown, right? How is that any different from how we were raised?”   
  
Dean didn’t like what he was hearing from the expression that slowly started to settle on his face. He pushed himself up from the counter and began walking to one of the beds and took a seat down on the edge. He looked over at his brother, and suddenly, he felt the need to defend himself. “I’m not shoving anybody into this life, okay? This is temporary.”   
  
“Dad always said it was temporary, Dean. Said it for twenty-two years.” Sam said. You watched as Dean began to grow a sullen look when he began to reflect on how he’d been acting over the past week since the djinn attack. He was always the type of person to always make sure that everyone was safe. He’d lost enough in life. You understood how much he wanted to cling on to what he had left. Sam, however, thought this cushioned lifestyle his brother had was really going to last for much longer. “Look, I get it. You wanna watch out for them. That’s great. I’m just asking, how do you do that, and not turn into Dad?”   
  
The truth was a hard pill to swallow, but Dean was going to need to hear it before he got someone hurt. That’s why Sam said what he did. And he wanted his brother back. He wanted things to be back the way they were. His brother hunting, not playing house with a woman he shared one night with. You let out a quiet sigh as you bit the inside of your cheek, not quite sure what you could say. Because part of you agreed with Sam. Hunters didn’t ever get out of the lifestyle for good. But you wanted him out. You wanted him to live a happy, long life with people that were normal. This entire situation was bittersweet. And more confusing that you could ever quite process. Your personal opinion was always changing on what you were okay with.   
  
“Crap. I can’t believe I missed this.” Sam didn’t seem to find it all that hard to slip himself back into his work again. You looked away from the spot at the table and to him, wondering what he had found. “This house on Elm. The mother was killed, baby was grabbed, but Daddy wasn’t living in the house at the time. So he’s still alive. What do you say we go have a chat?”   
  
“I say let’s.” You agreed with the plan, pushing yourself up to your feet as the brothers followed behind. As you were about ready to get yourself ready, you immediately realized that you were playing mommy. You let out a sigh and sat back down to the chair. “You boys go ahead. Unless either one of you got a badge for Bobby John, I’ll play Mommy Dearest for a couple hours. I mean, shouldn’t be too hard.”   
  
You had all the confidence in the world that you could take care of a baby. You’d done it before. But that mostly was when you were a teenager and the baby was passed out for the night while its parents went out for dinner. You let out a frustrated sigh when you heard Bobby John slowly arise from his nap by the sounds of his cries that were slowly growing louder. It’d been almost a full day since you had gotten any sleep. You admitted defeat when you put your arms on the table and rested your head down, knowing this was going to a rough trip.   
  
“Actually, you know, why don’t you do a solo trip? I’ll stay here with Y/N.” Dean suggested, suddenly realizing that it would take much more than one person to take care of a baby. Sam nodded his head and got ready to head out, Dean walked over to the crib, thinking there might be a way to calm down the baby. He stuck his finger into his drink, and very sneakily, let the baby take a taste for the good stuff. Dean’s lips stretch into a smile at how Bobby John quieted down just seconds later. “It’s good, isn’t it?”   
  
“Dean! What the actual hell?” You looked up when you heard the room grow silent. You gave the man a disapproving glare from what he’d done and walked over to the crib, making sure that the baby was okay. Peering down, Bobby John seemed to have been content. “Well, I mean…they   
  
used to give babies brandy when they were teething. Just don’t do it again. Okay?”   
  
You grabbed the half empty glass from the man to finish up the last bit of it before heading back to get some more. One thing was for sure, this wasn’t going to be an easy few hours for the both of you. And you weren’t just talking about taking care of a baby.   
  
\+ + +   
  
It’d been about an hour since Sam had left to talk to the father. Bobby John had been quiet in his crib, he’d fallen asleep right after, leaving you and Dean to figure out a way to fill in the silence that followed. You found yourself sitting at the table where Sam had been going through the paperwork to see if you could find any sort of other links to what was going on here. Shifters were pretty much creatures who liked to pretend to be someone else for their own personal gain, sort of like the pleasure of murder and robbery. At least, that’s the few you’d come across during your time of hunting. Why was one stealing babies from parents? That was a question you had still to find out the answer to. But one thing was for sure, habits in some people never changed.   
  
You looked up from the paperwork when you heard the sounds of vibrations coming from across the room. Dean was lying on one of the beds with his eyes closed, enjoying the perks of motel rooms, like the magic fingers he always insisted on using to relax. You brought your attention back to the papers to try and hide the smile that began to slowly spread across your lips. It was a sight that you would never grow old to stare at. Sometimes, back in a life that was before, when you and Dean were in a relationship and shared the same bed, you would sometimes be the first person to wake up. Maybe it was sort of creepy, watching him sleep, but it was a chance for you to see him in a way that you never really got to see before—peaceful, content. But the moment never lasted long.   
  
“You know I always hated it when you stared at me, sweetheart.” Dean’s unexpected voice made you suddenly shift your gaze away from the man and back down to your papers, trying to pretend that you weren’t doing what he suspected. The man opened one of his eyes to see that you were sitting at the table with your eyes to the papers, but from the rosy tint starting to spread across the apples of your cheeks, you were caught. He let out a quiet chuckle, finding your frazzled behavior all too adorable. “How’s research going?”   
  
"Peachy. I’m just…keeping busy. That’s all.” You said, shuffling through police documents and other papers you had collected over the past few days. The two of you remained silent for a few more moments as Bobby John remained silent in the crib. You looked away from the baby and to the older Winchester, suddenly, you were overcome with curiosity. “Do you miss it? Hunting, I mean.”   
  
I miss being with you and Sam. I miss riding around in the Impala. That was Dean’s first answer that popped into his head from your question. But he didn’t say that. Because it was only partially true. He pushed himself up to a sitting position on the bed, keeping silent for a second longer before answering you. “Sometimes. Yeah, I do. It’s all I’ve really known. But…my priorities changed. I’ve got..” You can say it. A new girlfriend, a new life—"A kid to raise now. Ben’s a handful, but he’s my responsibility. And I wouldn’t change anything in the world for that.”   
  
"Good. You make a good father. Ben seems to be really happy when you’re around. And I don’t care what Sam says,” You dropped the papers you’d been holding and let them fall to the table with a light thud. “You and Lisa can live a happy life without having to constantly move around all the time. I mean, look at me. I spent most of my life without anything bad happening to me. And I was alone. Well…not much changed there.”   
  
Your lips stretched into a smile as you let out a quiet laugh, finding your situation not the least bit bitter. Dean smiled ever so slightly, but for a moment, his mind reflected to a possibility that made him start to chuckle to himself. No, it was impossible. He’d been hearing things, that’s all. But his hearing was working quite well from what happened next.   
  
The both of you were torn away from your own thoughts when you heard a strange sound coming from the crib, followed by the baby starting to suddenly cry on the top of his lungs. You could feel your mouth slowly gape open when you noticed the walls and part of the crib was covered in a substance that you’d seen before. Ever so slowly, you and Dean looked at one another, wondering what the hell was going on. You pushed yourself to your feet as you quickly walked over to the crib, Dean cautiously followed behind with a slower pace, not sure what he was about to see. You didn’t tear your eyes away from the baby when you heard your phone ring. Pulling it out, you answered it when you noticed that it was Sam.   
  
“Talked to the father. He checks out. The baby…” Sam spoke on the other line, you barely gave him much more than a mumbled word as you picked up Bobby John from his crib. “I think the shapeshifter is his dad.”   
  
“You think?” You muttered underneath your breath. You let out a quiet chuckle when you held the baby, who was not even the same baby anymore, but someone completely different. Your eyes wandered over to the box of diapers and the baby model. You were holding a carbon copy of the same baby. Letting out a quiet chuckle from what was going on, it seemed Bobby John was a very quick learner. “Oh, baby.”

 

\+ + +

 

Taking care of a baby was challenging work. It was no doubt in your mind about that when you realized Bobby John was now an orphan after his poor parents were the victims of whatever sort of plan this shifter had. But you didn’t realize that it was about to get a hell of a lot worse from the discovery that you made that his father was the creature you were hunting. And Bobby John was alike like the man. It was beginning to make sense now of why all these missing babies were disappearing into thin air. He had fun a little over a year ago with the babies’ mommies. And he was collecting his children after the mother did all the hard work.   
  
You shushed Bobby John with a soothing tone as you dried him off with a towel and changed his diaper again after you and Dean gave him a quick bath after his little “accident.” But he wasn’t having it. He screamed on the top of his lungs and cried his little heart out, making you feel a little flustered for what you could do to calm him down. You decided to wait a moment on changing him back into his clothes and picked Bobby John up from the bed to rest him on your shoulder and start to slowly bounce him around, hoping he would start to calm down before the other guests in the motel started to get pissed at hearing the baby cry.    
  
But it was a little too late  when you heard a knock on the door that could have been heard from all the crying Bobby John was doing, causing you to freeze in your spot. You furrowed your brow in suspicion as your eyes quickly wandered over to Dean, who rolled his eyes in frustration, not the least bit happy at a stranger stopping by during this inconvenient time.    
  
“Manager. Is everything all right in there?” The muffled voice called out, continuing to knock on the locked door. Dean shouted some excuse that everything was perfectly fine. Bobby John, however, decided to prove otherwise when he continued to scream and cry. “There’s been some complaints. Mind opening up the door, sir?”   
  
“Uh, it’s not a good time.” Dean said, shrugging his shoulders from how persistent this man was trying to be when you started to grow a little bit more worried. Bobby John started to calm down ever so slightly when you started to slowly rock him back and forth. The visitor was ever so impatient as he knocked again, making you grow angry yourself. Dean tried one last time for him to leave the three of you alone. “I just got out of the shower.”   
  
Your head cradled the back of Bobby John’s head as your grip around him tightened when you noticed the lock on the door was starting to turn. It didn’t leave a good feeling in your stomach about who was on the other side. Dean seemed to share the same suspicion when he nodded his head to the bathroom, signaling you and Bobby John to hide. The shifter found all of you once before. And it wouldn’t take a genius to realize the father was back again in new clothing to try again. You locked yourself and the baby in the bathroom, leaving the older Winchester on his own. You sat down on the toilet after putting down the lid and propped Bobby John on your lap.    
  
“You gonna be good for me while Uncle Dean kills your daddy?” You couldn’t believe the words that you were saying to the baby, but with the right kind of tone, Bobby John was now smiling, his mood beginning to change ever so slightly. “Yeah. You’re going to stay here with me and everything’s gonna be fine. I promise you.“   
  
You let out a quiet chuckle from how the baby was now starting to behave, giving you a little more of relief. However, you hand slipped into your back pocket and pulled out your knife only to place it on the counter for safekeeping. You stared at the flimsy lock on the door. If this shifter wanted to get his hands on this baby, he was going to have to get through you and Dean first. And the son of a bitch would pry Bobby John out of your cold, dead fingers before you let that happen.    
  
Dean prepared himself when he saw the lock on the motel room door beginning to shift upwards, he hid himself behind the wall, knife in him to attack the monster. The door swung open just seconds later, followed by the sound of footsteps slowly entering the room, taking a cautious inspection to see where you or the other Winchesters were. When the shifter wasn’t expecting it, Dean jumped out from his hiding spot and attacked.    
  
The older Winchester took the shifter by surprise, managing to get the loaded gun out of his hands when he realized the shifter wasn’t the old lady anymore, but a cop. Dean attempted to stab the monster, but he found himself stumbling backwards until he stood next to the empty crib. He quickly regained his posture and pointed the knife at the shifter, not backing down so easily.    
  
"Get out of the way.” The shifter demanded.    
  
“Yeah, that’s not gonna happen.” Dean said, his grip around the handle tightened more.    
  
The shifter narrowed his eyes, “A child should be with his father.”    
  
“Well, I gotta be honest,” Dean found the remark funny to him as his eyes wandered to the diaper box you put on top of the old TV, the baby looked exactly like the one Bobby John had turned into. “I’m not really seeing the family resemblance.”   
  
“I’m not just talking about me.” The shifter grew a smirk, as if he knew a secret Dean didn’t know. “I’m talking about our father.”   
  
Dean wasn’t going to wait for whatever kind of explanation he didn’t want to know. He lunged forward and made his move again, attempting to take down the shifter once and for all, but he only managed a cut across the cheek, making the thing stop in his tracks for a moment at the sizzling pain. But he got vengeance by grabbing the hunter by the collar of his shirt and roughly throwing him across the room, making Dean hit his head on the way down, stunning him just long enough for the shifter to make way to the crib and lean over, expecting to see the son he’d been chasing for the past few days—only to see that it was empty.    
  
The shifter could feel his hands clenching into fists from what was happening. He was about to release his anger on the hunter, but before he did, he heard a muffled sound coming from a shut door he didn’t notice before. A smirk began to slowly creep across the ends of his lips at what sounded like a baby’s cry. You sat in the bathroom as you slightly bounced your knee, trying to get Bobby John to stay quiet when he started to get fussy again. But you heard his crying get louder when the bathroom door swung open without a warning. You acted quickly managing to snag the knife up from the counter and hold the baby tighter to your chest. There stood the shifter, now dressed as a deputy, he wasn’t the least bit threatened by your knife.   
  
“Get back.” You warned him. You managed to balance Bobby John on your hip with one arm resting on his torso as the other hand pointed the blade at his father, knowing he was cornered from making any sort of sudden moves. He could try something, but from the adrenaline running through your veins, you wouldn’t dare let the baby go in the wrong hands. He could make a move, but before he knew what happened to him, the shifter would have the blade sticking out in his neck. “Or I swear to—”   
  
You never managed to finish your threat, because what came out of your mouth was a sudden gasp of surprise from the sudden sound of what appeared to be a gunshot. Bobby John began to cry louder from the noise that scared him, you flinched and automatically wrapped an arm around the baby, trying to protect him from whatever sort of stupid stunt the shifter might have done. But the dead body that suddenly laid at your feet told a different story. You furrowed your brow as you looked up from the blood that was starting to stain the tiled floor. Dean wouldn’t have done such a dangerous move like shooting off a gun. Despite being a trained hunter all of his life, all it took was one wrong shift of the arm to get someone hurt. But the person standing behind the smoking gun was someone you should have suspected all along—Sam.   
  
\+ + +   
  
Bobby John’s father might have been dead, but you still had many more problems ahead of you. Like, what the hell were you going to do with a shapeshifting baby now that his parents were all dead? You stared at his peaceful sleeping face when you and the boys were back on the road, trying to figure out your next plan of action. Bobby John was passed out in his car seat, your lips stretched into a smile from how cute he was. You nestled yourself closer to the baby when Sam continued on talking, making sense of how all of this had been playing out, and why the shifter wanted Bobby John so badly.   
  
“You know, it’s pretty smart, actually.” Sam said. You looked away from the backseat window to see the miles of backroad farming that gave you little interest. You hadn’t said a word to the younger Winchester since you left the motel, still pissed at what he did. “I mean, shifter poses as a guard from the security company, then scopes out the fam.”   
  
“Yeah, then daddy takes off, and shifter becomes daddy. A few glasses of wine, shakes mama’s trees,” Dean looked over his shoulder to see the baby’s sleeping face for a moment. “Comes back in nine months to collect its prize.”   
  
“I didn’t even know they had babies. I thought they were just freaks of nature, like X-Men style.” Sam said, seeming surprised at what one could learn about the monsters he hunted every day of his life. He looked up into the rear view mirror for a second, catching a glimpse of the baby’s sleeping face. Nothing came to him, not even a smile. “I’ve never seen a baby monster before.”   
  
“Yeah. Of course, it’s not really a monster.” You corrected the younger Winchester, not letting him get any sort of ideas of how he might try to wrap up this hunt. “I mean, it’s still just a baby. It’s not its fault its dad’s a shifter.”     
  
“Right, but it’s a shifter too.” Sam didn’t hesitate to throw that in your face, you rolled your eyes, trying not to bait him into an argument about what he thought the right thing to do was.   
  
“Still doesn’t change the fact that we’ve gotta look after him. I mean, what the hell are we gonna do with it?” Dean asked the question that had been on everyone’s mind, yours especially. You looked down at the baby, a frown forcing itself down on your lips from the grim future he might have if you didn’t come up with a proper plan. “We can’t drop it off at an orphanage. They might get upset when it turns Asian.”   
  
“Well, maybe I—”   
  
“Samuel.” The younger Winchester cut you off, thinking whatever sort of idea you had in mind wasn’t good enough. He wanted the dynamics between you and him to stay the same. It was taking longer than he expected to bring his brother back into the hunting life again. But it would only be a matter of time until the three of you were back together again. Dean looked at his little brother when he heard a familiar name, but he didn’t know why it was spoken. “Samuel. He’ll know what to do.”   
  
“You wanna bring it to a bunch of hunters?” Dean wondered if that’s what his brother was trying to get at, you furrowed your brow in confusion as to why the man would suggest such a thing.   
  
“Not just hunters, Dean. They’re our family.” The younger Winchester said, trying to get his older brother to finally trust his family that was his actual blood. Dean, however, still remained distant when he muttered that he didn’t know them all that well. He didn’t trust someone he spent barely five minutes with. “Y/N and I do know them. Not every hunter is a headcase. I mean, Samuel is actually a lot like you.”   
  
"I’m a freaking headcase.” Dean attempted to argue longer with his brother, but it was only him wasting his breath at this point in the conversation.   
  
“Well, pitch a better idea.” Sam said, falling silent for a moment and waited for either you or his brother to come up with a better plan of action than the one he was giving. You remained as you were in the backseat, deciding if the brothers’ grandfather might be of some use, Dean tried to think, but he found himself speechless, not quite sure what to do with a shapeshifting baby. Sam deemed this a victory from the smirk that crawled to the ends of his lips. “All right. Samuel it is.”   
  
\+ + +   
  
You and the boys made it back to the Campbell compound a little before sunset, and were greeted with the usual pair of men that guarded the place, keeping an eye out for any sort of monsters they wanted to pull a stupid stunt that would end up in a bullet to the head. You hated coming here and only chose to make an appearance on the rare occasions when Sam dragged you along.during a hunt. He seemed to have put all of his trust in his blood relatives, you remained on the outskirts, pretending to be friendly, but shunning yourself when things started to appear a bit off. For some reason you couldn’t put your full trust in them. There was something about them that made you feel uneasy. But you were willing to play nice long enough for Samuel to come up with an idea for the future of Bobby John. If not, you were taking the baby and hitting the road, an idea of your own already starting to play out in your mind.   
  
You cradled the sleeping baby in your arms and headed into the compound, Dean never strayed far from your side when he followed you inside. He wasn’t the least bit comfortable about his brother’s plan, but he was willing to hear him out. You felt a little tense when you were stuck in a room full of hunters that wouldn’t bat an eye if they were told to kill a monster. But they were playing nice for once. Your eyes wandered over to where Samuel and the younger Winchester were talking from across the room. Both of them seemed deep in conversation, not knowing you were trying your hardest to figure out what they were saying from the dim light that barely cast a shadow on their mouths. You quickly looked away when you heard footsteps approaching. A frown stretched across your lips when you saw Gwen coming forward to take a look at the baby.   
  
“Well, aren’t you just the best disguise a monster ever wore?” Gwen whispered to the sleeping baby as she reached out her hand to softly stroke his hair. You scoffed at her remark as you stepped away from her, turning away as Dean rolled his eyes from the woman’s dry sense of humor. She looked at the both of you with a bit of a funny expression, not sure what she did wrong. “Mommy and Daddy can’t take a joke, huh? I was kidding, relax, Y/N.”   
  
"What, you got something to say?” Dean caught Mark, the eerily quiet Campbell, just staring at you and him. He baited the man to start a conversation to try and figure out what was going on in that head of his. But the man stood there with his hands on his hips, never once muttering a single word. “No? All right. Well, you just stand there and think at me.”   
  
Mark gave the older Winchester an eyeroll of his own before walking away, Christian let out a  quiet chuckle from the chair he was occupying with his feet kicked up on one of the chairs. You noticed Samuel and the younger Winchester stepped out from across the room to join the rest of you, the older man mention about having a few ideas. You found yourself instinctively holding the baby even closer to you when the two of them approached you. Samuel’s face seemed to light up at the sight of the sleeping baby in your arms. And it seemed he wanted a turn.   
  
“Y/N, let me see the little guy.” Samuel said.   
  
“That’s all right.” Dean quickly spoke before you could act. “I think she’s got it.”   
  
Samuel looked at the older Winchester with a bit of a confused expression from his sudden hostile behavior towards him, “What do you think I’m gonna do?”   
  
“You don’t want me to answer that question.” Dean said, a slightly grim smile settling on his lips.   
  
“Well, I’m curious. Who exactly do you think we are?” Christian decided to speak up, butting himself straight into the conversation after finding the man’s hostile behavior the least bit kind. You shot him a look to keep quiet when Dean muttered the word hunter, dragging this unwanted conversation even further. “Funny. Here I’ve been thinking we’re family.”   
  
“Hey,” You cut off the conversation before it could turn into an argument. “Let’s not get worked up here over something so stupid.”   
  
“Yeah. Yeah,” Christian agreed, his eyes wandering to the older Winchester for a second before he turned back to his work before  muttering underneath his breath, “Let’s not.”   
  
Bobby John began to wake up ever so slightly, you tried to get him to go back to sleep as you quietly shushed him and rocked him back and forth, watching as his eyes fluttered back closed. You looked up from the baby to see that Sam was standing in front of you, his arms outstretched in front him. “Here. Y/N, it’s fine.” The younger man tried to reassure you. You furrowed your brow from what he was trying to do, and for some reason, you wouldn’t let him have the baby. He gave you a reassuring look, like he wouldn’t dare hurt such a small and innocent thing. The one thing that was the perfect piece piece of bait. “Let me take him. It’s okay.”   
  
You were still for a second, unsure if you wanted to, but when you stared at his face, you could see the same old Sam that you had known your entire life. You let out a quiet sigh and handed him the baby, watching as Bobby John barely stirred from his slumber, and was soon handed over to Samuel’s awaiting arms. The older man looked happy to be holding the little creature.   
  
“Hey, there. Oh, you’re a big fella, aren’t you? Yeah. I haven’t held one of these in a long time.” Samuel broke out into a smile when he stared down at the baby that was now sleeping peacefully in his arms, bringing him back to when his only daughter was just an infant. “Your mom was the tiniest. But she was bald as a cue ball.”   
  
“All right,” Dean decided to ask the question that had been burning in the back of his mind, already over the Hallmark moment his grandfather was having. “What the hell are we gonna do with him?”   
  
“Raise him.”   
  
“Raise him?”   
  
“You got another suggestion?” Samuel questioned the older Winchester. Dean opened his mouth to protest the idea, but the man cut him off. “It’s dangerous out there for him.”   
  
“What about in here?” Dean asked, sharing his personal concerns and little trust he had for the group that he was supposed to call family. But he didn’t dare let a baby who wasn’t of the norm be alone in a room full of people who were raised to kill things like him. “What, are we gonna study him? Poke at him?”   
  
“Your mind goes right to torture. Don’t assume that for everyone.” Christian always liked to poke his nose where it didn’t belong. And tonight was no exception. You crossed your arms over your chest and bit down on your tongue, trying your hardest not to say anything you might regret. It was Dean who stepped forward and ask what the man meant by that. “Sorry, I heard about what you majored in, down in the pit. Heard Y/N was your favorite pet.”   
  
“What the hell is your problem, man?“ Dean asked the man with a hardening tone. He stared at the other hunter with a look, as if he was trying to egg him on, wanting nothing more than to punch that stupid smirk off his lips. "You want me to kick your ass? ‘Cause I’ll gladly do it.”   
  
“Touchy, touchy.” Christian kicked his legs off the table and pushed himself to his feet, not the least bit afraid of whatever kind of threat coming his way. “You’re starting to become a pain in my ass. I’ll see how good you are after being out of the field for a year.”   
  
“Okay. You know what?” You stepped between the two men before anything could start. You put your hand out in front of you to stop Christian from making a decision that he’d regret. “Do anything…or make another stupid remark, and I’ll knock your teeth out of your head.”   
  
You gave him a threat that you’d gladly live up to. The man seen had you worked in the field, and from the look on your face alone, it seemed that he was going to take your words to heart. You watched as he backed off, choosing not to take on this fight that he’d lose. Shaking your head, you looked over at the older Winchester, giving him a look of your own for him to back off.   
  
“We all done bristling up, or what? Nobody’s doing anything to him, Dean. When he’s old enough, we throw it to him.” Samuel said, reassuring the older Winchester about the future of Bobby John. “He wants to volunteer to help out, that’s fine.”   
  
“Could be great.” Mark spoke up to voice his opinion on the matter. Everyone looked over at the hunter who said almost nothing but a few words. He seemed positive about having someone like the kid around. And what his future path would be. “Think of the kind of hunter he’ll grow up to be.”   
  
A look of uneasiness settled across your face as your eyes settled onto the baby. Suddenly you wanted to snatch Bobby John out of Samuel’s arms and run for the hills. He’d been only in your possession for the last few days, but suddenly you were overcome with protectiveness, wanting to get him away from here far as possible. Dean stared at you for a second, seeming to notice that you were the only one not warming up to this plan. And he shared the exact same feelings.   
  
“You all are joking, right? I mean, come on.” Dean said, trying to snap the group into some kind of logical thinking. “You can’t Angelina Jolie a shapeshifter. Give me the baby.”   
  
Samuel didn’t cooperate. He stared at his oldest grandson with a stern, but hurt expression from how he was reacting. “Why can’t you give me an inch of trust, Dean?”   
  
“Maybe because you three are suddenly back from the dead and I seem to be the only one who wants to know how the hell that happened.” Dean said, his voice becoming sharp from the lack of progress anyone was making to figure out the mystery that hadn’t been solved.   
  
“You’re not the only one that wants to know.” Sam muttered to his brother.   
  
“There’s too much mystery with this family for me to get comfy.” Dean said, not being the least bit shy about his distrust for the people that were supposed to be his blood. “And frankly, I don’t like the idea of you raising this kid.”   
  
“Then don’t. But don’t put it on us. All we’re trying to do is invite you in.” Samuel said with a blunt tone. He stared at the man with a serious expression, having had enough of the runarounds and trying to please the young man. If he wanted to keep his distance, fine. He looked down at the baby that he was holding who slowly start to awake. Samuel decided to do something which the older Winchester might approve of. “Y/N? You weren’t raised a hunter, right? Give a proper upbringing?”   
  
You furrowed your brow in confusion from where this was going, “Yeah. Sort of.”   
  
“Congratulations. It’s a boy. Sometimes.” Samuel decided the best plan of action for the baby to keep everyone happy. You felt a little out of the loop when the man handed the baby over to you to hold. You stared down at the big brown eyes that stared at you and smiled at him. You stared at Bobby John for a moment before looking up at Samuel, wondering what the hell was going on. The man had his gaze on Dean from his remark. “You don’t want me raising the kid? Fine.”   
  
“Wait, what?” You suddenly realized what kind of responsibility landed directly into your lap. You had been thinking about suggesting the idea of letting you look over Bobby John. But with the words now out in the open, you felt a little bit of pressure to say yes. You had grown attached to the baby. But you didn’t know what to say. A nervous chuckle fell out out of your mouth, “I can’t raise a child—”   
  
“Of course you can.” Dean cut you off, brushing off any doubt that you had about the matter. You looked at him with a funny expression from how he suddenly changed his tune. And what he brought up. “You always wanted kids, right? Well, there you go.”   
  
You turned around so you were facing the older Winchester, your back was turned to the rest of the group. “Yeah. With you!” You whispered to him, your voice growing harsher from how he was bringing up something you and him had discussed during an intimate, very dark moment, in your past that you wanted to stay buried. While there was some truth to what you said, you couldn’t raise Bobby John all on your own. “I mean, I can’t raise a kid by myself…”   
  
“You won’t be.” You broke your concentration away from the older Winchester when you felt someone’s arm ever so softly rest against your waist, you look up to see that it was Sam. He gave you a smile before looking down at Bobby John, who he stared at with a happy expression while he began to interact more with the baby than he had while you were taking care of it. You looked down at Bobby John to see that he was starting to smile as his little fingers wrapped around Sam’s gigantic index finger. Sam let out a quiet chuckle, his eyes wandering over to Dean for a quick second from what he said next. “I’ll be with you every step of the way.”   
  
But the happy moment didn’t last too long. You quickly looked over your shoulder when you heard the sound of the guard dog that was outside to keep watch, but from the sounds of his barking that turned into whimpers seconds after, something wasn’t right. You furrowed your brow from what was going on here as you brought the baby closer to you. Samuel didn’t waste a second in getting everyone to focus and check out what was going on outside. He sent you and the boys downstairs, knowing  that’s where Bobby John would be safe.You didn’t know what the hell was going on. You thought Bobby John’s father was dead. Sam had shot him back at the motel. Unless…   
  
Your blood ran cold at the thought of one of them making his way to the compound and making its way inside for one little baby. If it did, the trouble that it would bring. While you and the boys found some sort of safety in the panic room, you had a feeling it wasn’t going to be enough to hide when Bobby John began to fuss. Out of the all the times he could need something, right now wasn’t exactly ideal. You tried your hardest to keep the baby quiet, but he wasn’t in the mood to cooperate with you.   
  
“Come on, Bobby John.” You whispered to the baby. “You have got to keep quiet.”   
  
Dean tried to help keep the baby calm by making a few funny faces, and while it was a temporary fix, his eyes wandered upwards when a sudden crashing came from upstairs. “It does not sound good up there.”   
  
“All right. I’m going up.” Sam said, having heard enough. “Stay with Y/N and the baby.”   
  
You didn’t exactly think that would be considered a good idea. But you knew if he stayed down here and didn’t help whatever the hell that was causing all the ruckus upstairs, it might make its ways towards you. You watched as the man began to walk towards the door, you adjusted Bobby John so the both of you were more comfortable. Sam reached out to open up the door, but before he did, it seemed the window had turned into a mirror from who he saw standing out in the hallway. Your eyes suddenly grew wide when you saw a spitting image of Sam standing just behind the door.   
  
You pulled Bobby John closer to you as you began to back away quickly, trying to put some distance from whatever the hell that was trying to come inside. Sam pulled out his knife that was about to become a flimsy little accessory when the creature dressed like him easily pulled off the heavy metal door off the hinges and tossed it across the hall. The younger Winchester didn’t waste a second in attacking the man, but it seemed the thing knew exactly what he tried to do. The thing grabbed him by the arm, and with a simple move, you watched as Sam was thrown out into the hall, hard enough to know that he was out of the fight.   
  
You swallowed slightly from what was going on as you suddenly felt your backside hit the wall, leaving you with nowhere to go. The creature dressed like Sam smirked at the sight of you cornered, but Dean wasn’t going to back down. He stepped in front to block you and Bobby John from the thing, its smile grew wider at what he saw. The creature had a few tricks up his sleeve. Most shapeshifters had to peel off its skin to transform itself into another person. But not this one. Your face scrunched up in confusion as you watched it morph itself into the other Winchester without breaking a sweat.   
  
“What the…” Dean muttered underneath his breath, taken back himself at what he saw.   
  
“Give me the baby.” The creature ordered as he put his hand out in front of him and waved, trying to play nice here without hurting anyone else.   
  
You scoffed at the request, “No way in hell.”   
  
If it was a fight that you wanted, it was fight you were going to get. Dean pointed the silver knife at the thing and didn’t waste a second in shoving the blade into its chest when it attempted to make its way forward to the both of you. A silver knife to the heart would kill any shapeshifter, but not this one. You watched as the thing didn’t even flinch. He just stared at the knife, a little pissed, but unharmed. He grabbed the older Winchester by a fistful of his jacket and roughly threw him across the room, making his head hit the metal wall. You gritted your teeth from what was happening. But you weren’t going to back down from something like him. Your eyes wandered to the door, wondering if you could make a run for it, but you knew it was impossible.   
  
Your attention quickly was brought back to the shifter when you felt his hand gripped your neck, tight enough until you felt your breathing become cut off, and began to wonder if he could snap your bones just from his grip. You reached out your free hand to somehow fight him off, but you could feel yourself being lifted off the ground, the shifter easily pinning you in place so he could take what was rightfully his. You could feel your eyesight growing hazy as Bobby John slipped out from your grip and safely into the arms of the shifter. When he watched you slip out into temporary unconsciousness, he let go of you, dropping your body to the ground. The shifter smirked to himself at how the situation ended. He looked down at his child, happy with his work, he turned around, and headed straight for the door.   
  
Ever so slowly, you felt yourself coming back around, you inhaled a deep breath when you felt the cold concentrate pressing against your cheek and the throbbing pain in your neck. But no baby. Your eyes quickly spotted something that looked like Dean heading straight for the door. You caught a glimpse of Bobby John for the very last time when he vanished from your sight just seconds later with his father.   
  
\+ + +

 

It was an outcome that you never wanted to happen; Bobby John slipping out of your presence for good and knowing that what you’d been hearing about in whispers was true. But if you had been anywhere else, you might not just have a sore neck to deal with and a few overturned tables to help clean up. You were far better off than the three hunters that crossed paths with it and shot at the shifter, which only made it angry, prompting it to seek out a revenge that he thought fit. You let out a frustrated sigh and grabbed a few books up from the ground, trying to keep yourself busy as the others helped. Samuel and the younger Winchester quietly talked amongst themselves as they discussed what happened. You clutched the books close to your chest and walked over to them, knowing exactly that they were talking about.   
  
“I’m pretty sure it’s not a myth now.” You whispered to them, keeping your voice down to keep this conversation private as you possibly could, knowing Dean was still around here. But he was much closer than you realized when you heard his footsteps approach you from behind after he heard every word that you had just said.   
  
“What the hell was that thing?” Dean questioned all of you.   
  
You bit your bottom lip as you became a bit hesitant to give him some of the information that you had been working on for the past several months. Samuel kept quiet for a moment, Sam was the one who thought it would be best to let his brother know when he nodded his head.   
  
“We think it might have been an Alpha.” Samuel explained to the older Winchester. Dean looked at the man with a bit of a confused expression. “Like all monsters come from somewhere, right?”   
  
“And you think this was the—”   
  
“King shapeshifter. First one who spawned all the others.” You said, giving him more information about what was going on here. Dean suddenly seemed overwhelmed with what you had been dealing with, you knew the problem was only beginning here when you realized the things you had been reading about were true. “That’s why it was so strong. And why nothing would stop it.”   
  
“And he said he could find the baby anywhere, that he could feel it. Like there’s a connection.” Samuel said. “That’s in the lore, too.”   
  
“What the hell does it want with babies, anyway?” Dean asked.   
  
“Maybe he wants to make a little tykes softball team.” You said, cracking a joke. But it only ended up with you letting out a scoff, frustrated at the lack of answers you could give to him, and even yourself. “We don’t know.”   
  
“Great.” Dean muttered underneath his breath. “Well, then, how do we kill it?”   
  
You remained silent from the man’s question as your eyes wandered away from him and the two other ones standing next to you. All of you remained silent for a moment as you settled your gaze on Samuel, letting him break the news. “I don’t know if we can.”   
  
\+ + +   
  
You and the boys helped clean up best that you possibly could, but a few broken chairs and some blood stains could be taken care of with the Campbells. The three of you had a long drive back to drop off Dean, back to his quiet life with the family. You slipped out into the quiet night and headed out first, walking to the car as you shoved your hands into your pocket, still a little bit disappointed at how tonight went. Dean followed behind, and while he wasn’t happy with the outcome, his mind had been focused on something else lately. It’d been a long time since he’d been hunting with you and his brother. While it felt good to stretch some muscles that had grown sore, he felt a little bit…off. Like something wasn’t right when he thought back to what happened.   
  
“You know, it’s funny.” Dean started a conversation when Sam shut the door behind him, giving the three of you some privacy away from the Campbell family. You looked over your shoulder in curiosity as Sam looked over his brother’s way. “You know, just before you ganked the shifter in the motel, he mentioned a father, which makes sense now because he meant the Alpha.”   
  
“Huh.” Sam nodded his head as he let out a quiet chuckle, rethinking back as he headed for the driver’s side of the car. You headed for the backseat, but your eyes never left the man’s face. He had always been good at lying before he jumped into the pit. But, lately, he’d been so good at it, you couldn’t tell if he was telling the truth…or manipulating you straight to your face. “Yeah, I guess so.”   
  
“Did you hear him say that?” Dean asked, keeping his tone casual.   
  
“I don’t know, kind of a hot moment, you know?” Sam wondered what these kind of questions had to do with anything when he gave the man a confused expression. “Why?”   
  
"Oh, because if you heard him, then you knew the Alpha was out there. If you knew the Alpha was out there, then you knew he might come after the baby, in which you were using the baby as bait.”  Dean said. He knew his little brother like the back of his hand. The man was a damn good hunter, but he wasn’t reckless, at least…he thought. He looked away from his brother and to you for a moment to see your reaction. Your face scrunched up ever so slightly, not from the accusation that Dean was throwing his little brother’s way, but as if you were shocked to hear him do such a thing. Like he’d done this before. “So, was that the plan? To use the baby as bait?”   
  
“Of course not.” was good at lying straight through his teeth. He looked at his little brother with a bit of a surprise from the accusation. You narrowed your eyes on the man, knowing it had to be truth. He’d done a lot more dangerous things over the past year.  “Dean, I just thought Samuel’s was the safest place. That’s all.”   
  
Dean slowly nodded his head, trying to believe in the excuse that his little brother said as if it were the truth. But he felt like there was a little white nestled somewhere in there. He couldn’t help himself but take his brother’s word with a grain of salt. He watched as you opened up the backseat and slipped yourself inside, leaving the man alone with his thoughts for a moment. You looked at the man sitting in the driver’s seat in the rear view mirror, a glare settling into your expression at how easy lying came to him, and how little bit of remorse he felt.   
  
\+ + +   
  
The oldest Winchester was back home by the early the next afternoon. He said his goodbyes to you and his brother. Before he went off, you stopped him, telling the man to get over whatever kind of fear that he may have. Whatever sort of thing that was holding him back needed to be let go. If only you knew the thing holding him back from living a happy life had been staring at him from the passenger’s side seat. Honestly, he missed you, just as much as he missed his brother and hunting. It was familiar to him. His family before knew how to protect themselves from monsters, didn’t need a roof and four walls to call home. But you and his brother couldn’t give him the sort of happiness that Lisa and Ben gave to them.   
  
Dean always thought he couldn’t have a perfect balance of both words. He loved hunting, he always loved having a home to call his own. But he didn’t know how to balance it. He didn’t know how to choose one. If he stuck with hunting, then he’d have to give up a woman that he was starting to care for deeply, and put her son into some kind of terrible danger if he left them. But he couldn’t wait on the chances of seeing you and Sam on the rare occasion if you wanted to stop by. If you would ever. You and his brother were still your family. He couldn’t go from seeing the both of you every day of his life to visits that might never happen. Dean would drive himself crazy trying to find something that would make him happy. But there was one thing that he knew that needed to be done.   
  
Lisa was quietly drying dishes in the kitchen when Dean stepped into the house and got himself settled in. She peered over her shoulder when she heard him come in, the man felt happy to see her smiling at him. Dean wandered over to the countertop as she continued on doing her task. Looking around the house, he noticed that there was someone missing.   
  
“Where’s Ben?” Dean asked.   
  
“Bike ride.” Lisa answered without much thought. She finished drying the cup and placed it down to the counter without much thought about her son’s activity. She reached out to grab another wet dish, but when she noticed that Dean was awfully quiet and staring out the window to the front yard, she let out a quiet sigh, hoping this conversation wouldn’t turn into what she’d been dreading. “What?”   
  
Dean stared out the window for a few moments before he finally turned to face the woman. He walked over to the counter and placed his hands on the edges. He looked defeated from the constant thinking he’d been doing. And it was time to admit everything.   
  
“I don’t know what to do here, Lis. I mean, if I knew for sure what the safest thing was, then I’d do it. Stay here and look after you guys…or get as far away as I possibly can. But I don’t know. I just don’t want history to repeat itself. You know?” Dean admitted the stresses that had been on his mind lately. Lisa looked at him from what she heard him say, and from the look at started to settle on her face, she knew exactly what he was getting at. “And I get what I’ve been doing lately. You know, with the yelling and the acting like a prison guard. It’s just—that’s not me.  And you tell yourself you’re not gonna be something, you know? My dad was exactly like this, all the time…and it’s scaring the hell out of me. I can’t lose you two.”   
  
“Dean? Can I be honest?” She asked, circling around the countertop until she was standing next to him. The woman tapped her fingers against the granite and looked around at the boxes, trying to somehow get herself to discuss a conversation that was making her feel nervous. But it had to be done. “Maybe we’re safer with you here. Maybe gone. I don’t know. The one thing that I do know is that you’re not a construction worker. You’re a hunter. And now you know Y/N and your brother’s out there, things are different. You don’t want to be here, Dean.”   
  
“Yes, I do.” Dean admitted her the truth, but she knew there was more to him that he would say.   
  
“Okay. I understand that. But you also wanna be there. You’re white-knuckling it, living these two separate lives. I don’t want you to stay here because you feel like you feel obligated to keep us safe. Like you’re trying to keep yourself from repeating history. I’m not here to fill whatever sort of role you need me to be. I want you here because   
  
want to be.” Lisa said. She felt a little bit guilty for the way she was speaking to him, but it was what that needed to be said. “But I’m not gonna have this discussion every time that you leave. And this—this is just gonna keep happening. So I need you to go.”   
  
“Yes, I do. I can’t lose you and Ben.” Dean said, almost pleading with her. This past year had been the happiest, most normal that he had felt in his entire life. But Lisa could see things that he wouldn’t admit to, parts of him that he thought were terrible. She still wanted him the way he was. However, the man wasn’t getting what she was trying to say. “You’re saying hit the road.”   
  
“Dean, if there’s some rule that says this all has to be either-or…how about we break it?” Lisa grew a smile, getting to the suggestion she’d been thinking about while he was gone. “Me and Ben will be here, and you come when you can. Just…Just come in one piece, okay?”   
  
“You really think we could pull something like that off?”   
  
“It’s worth a shot, right?”   
  
\+ + +   
  
Life was all about trying to find the perfect balance between work and play. Dean and Lisa had made a compromise that he thought would never be able to happen for him. Lisa would stay to live her happy, quiet life with her son while Dean was out on the road, saving the world from monsters. He promised her to stop by every once in awhile, giving him that little bit of normalcy that he craved his entire life. Not to mention, he got to see you and his brother, back again like the happy, dysfunctional one that you were. You and Sam had been hunting together for the past year. It would be nice to finally get the trio back together. But if only he realized how close the two of you had gotten without him around.   
  
Sam was different since he’d gotten out of the pit, but you couldn’t put your finger on it of what it was. Some of it made you feel uneasy, but other times, when it came to him making decisions that the old him would have hesitated on, he would do it without thinking. He was still smart as you remembered, a damn good hunter, and had the same dry sense of humor that would make you laugh on occasion. But there were a few different things about him. Sort of like how you let him find an empty wooded area to park the car when Dean left and kissed him without a sense of urgency. And how he’d been working out a hell of a lot more than he had before. You weren’t complaining one single bit. If there was one thing the Winchester men didn’t lack, it was looks. Knowing that Dean was back home sharing a normal life with Lisa, you felt a little less guilty to let Sam slip his hands under your shirt.   
  
You weren’t going to sulk in self pity anymore, Dean wasn’t going to focus on the past of what was. Because the both of you had people in your lives that filled the void in your heart—whether it be some normalcy, a craving for human touch. However, life doesn’t always work out the way you wanted it to. And feelings weren’t that easy to destroy.   
  
Your eyes ripped themselves opened when you felt a vibration coming from your back pocket. It took both your hands to push Sam away for a moment to fetch out your phone and see who was texting you. Thinking it was one of the Campbells, you opened it up, only to find the name in the sender one you weren’t expecting to see. Sam’s eyes curiously wandered over to the screen, and when he saw who it was, you felt Sam’s lips find their way to your neck, wanting to keep things moving along like how he wanted them.   
  
**Dean:**   
  
Call me when you get the chance. There’s been a change of plans. Looks like you’re not getting rid of me that easy, sweetheart.   
  
You felt your heart suddenly pound roughly in your chest when you read the message, not even noticing that Sam was looming over your shoulder, reading it for himself. You attempted to write him back, Sam softly sank his teeth into the spot that always got you. You hit the send button as you quickly bit your bottom lip, trying your hardest not to say the wrong name.   
**  
Y/N:**   
  
Lisa get tired of you already? Haha. Kind of busy right now. I’ll call you when I get the chance. :) xoxo.   
  
Dean stared at the new text message longer than he should have. He felt himself inhale a deep breath from the way that you ended your text messages, back the way that you used to with him when the both of you were still in a relationship. But that was no longer. The two of you were best friends. Have been since birth. It felt good to be back in the Impala and on the open road, with a family that would be waiting for him. It’s what he always wanted. Dean tucked his phone back into his jacket and got ready to turn on the Impala and hit the road. His eyes drifted to the rear view mirror to make sure he could see, but before he stepped on the gas pedal, he found his gaze lingering to the empty backseat…and just like that, he found himself going down memory lane. Dean felt his grip around the steering wheel suddenly grow tense.   
  
Maybe this wasn’t going to be easy as he thought.


	3. The Third Man.

The morning sunlight peeked through the curtains, acting as a gentle wake up call for Dean to slowly open up his eyes to be greeted with another glorious day. And a gorgeous face lying right next to him in bed, greeting him with a smile that made his heart beat faster in his chest, making his feeling of being on cloud nine only bring him higher up. To a sort of high that he’d never felt before. Maybe it was the balance in his life that felt right. Everything that he ever wanted had worked out perfectly. Dean leaned over and didn’t waste a second in pressing his lips against hers. The sheets tangling around their bodies as he shifted his weight over her body so he was on top of hers. It was like last night all over again. Her hands found their way to his bare chest as he kissed her exactly the way she loved it. They both felt complete, two missing pieces that had been separated finally put back together after so long.

Dean pushed himself away for a second to catch his breath and stare at the beautiful woman that laid beneath him. The older Winchester furrowed his brow slightly when he stared at the woman for a moment and inspected the sight, suddenly, with more of a watchful eye. He took notice of how her hair fell across the pillow, how she sank her teeth sank into her bottom lip. And how she rested her arms against each side of her head, staring at him with a soft smile that once greeted him on mornings in shared motel rooms. He looked away from the woman and to his surroundings. He wasn’t in a motel room. The happy couple staring back at him from the nightstand and the familiar comforter made him realize he was in Lisa Braden’s bedroom. But the woman lying underneath him wasn’t her.

Dean inspected the familiar facial details of her face for a moment, slowly realizing who the person staring at him was. It was someone that he once shared a moment like this with. And now he was again, after all this time. Your lips stretched farther into a smile as you opened your mouth to say something to him—

The sounds of a passing trunk’s horn sent Dean straight out of his dream and back into reality. His eyes ripped themselves wide open as he shot up in the driver’s seat of the Impala, quickly coming to. The man suddenly realized where he was. Sitting in the middle of the woods in his car, completely alone. He reached up to the corner of his lip, making sure to get a little bit of drool that must had accidentally fallen out while he was sleeping. Dean shifted uncomfortably in his seat from the same dream he had been having for the past few days now. It had always started the same; waking up in bed to be greeted with Lisa, the both of them greeting one another good morning and him kissing her…all before she changed into someone else. He was rudely awakened before the dream could continue on.

Dean let out a frustrated sigh and leaned back in his seat, his head hanging in the air as he looked out to the lake that was right behind him. He had seen you a day ago when the three of you wrapped up a hunt together, like old times. The both of you had acted like nothing was wrong, almost like it back in the day. You were his best friend, someone who knew him better than he knew himself. That was it. Now there was someone else in his life that he called his significant other, his girlfriend. He thought for a second to call Lisa to see how she was. But in the matter of seconds, his mind shifted back to you, and what you were doing right now this morning. It was just out of pure curiosity, he told himself.

\+ + +

There was nothing better than to waking up in the morning feeling good, like everything was back in its rightful place. You weren’t hunting anymore with just Sam, and the occasional Campbell. Dean was finally back in the game after working out some things with Lisa. He didn’t give too many details, you didn’t ask. You were just happy that he was back on the road again like old times. All though, some habits that you swore would stop kept on going. One of them had left you feeling guilty each time it happened. Because you were using him in a way to fill the void in your heart. Because you thought keeping yourself from Dean would help him move on. 

Thankfully, things were different…they were better, you could say. You didn’t need to hear the words come out from the older Winchester’s mouth to figure out that he found a perfect balance with Lisa. He hunted like old times, she continued on with her normal life with Ben. And whenever he wanted to stop by, to escape the horrors of the hunting life, her door was open to him. You were happy for him. How could you not? It didn’t leave a pit in your stomach of resentment. It didn’t leave you holding a small, subconscious grudge against the two of them would just be childish. It’s not like you secretly wanted that with Dean for years before you started hunting. You were happy for the couple. At least, that’s what you told yourself on the outside with a grinning smile. 

Of course you could sit on the inside and sulk about what was, about what would never be again. But you had an entire year to get over it. And, with time, you were. You were starting not to really care anymore about him living a life that he always wanted. You had your own ways of getting over him. In the past you had felt guilty for what you did to distract yourself. But now you didn’t care anymore. He had Lisa, you had Sam to keep your bed warm at night. He was your dirty little secret when the two of you were alone. He promised not to tell. Knowing that you were sleeping with his little brother without his knowledge made it all the more exciting. No one was getting hurt…Right?

A quiet yawn escaped your mouth as you stretched your arms above your head, relaxing your tense muscles that were still a bit sore from the last hunt you took on on. And from the events following last night after booking a motel. You rested your elbow against the pillow as you cradled your head in your palm, the motel sheets tangled around your body with all your clothes spread on different parts of the floor, leaving you stark naked like the day you were born, and alone, like usual. Sam was never here when you woke up. It was different from what you were used to with Dean, but you weren’t asking him to cuddle and make love in the morning. It just wasn’t what you had worked out with him. You strictly kept your relationship into three different categories; hunting partners, best friends, and the occasional hook up.

You always thought of Sam like you little brother, your better half that understood you in ways that nobody ever could in this entire world. Not even Dean could try to comprehend what you had gone through last year, not that he didn’t try. He knew how it felt to carry around a sense of darkness inside of you that you didn’t want. He was empathetic, made the best partner when it came to research, and all around a good guy. But that man was gone. He hadn’t been quite like himself since coming back from the cage. In a way, it did worry you from how he acted when it got too far. But, for some reason, it made you…attracted to him. 

He was still a damn good hunter, better than ever, if you had to be honest. He took control of a situation when it called for and didn’t care if he stepped on anyone’s toes. (He was acting like Dean. Being the natural born leader. One who took control, the one who did the right thing. Even if it killed him inside.) But Sam didn’t let things like that bother him anymore. He only focused on hunting, and that was pretty much it. Oh, yeah, and when he didn’t have his nose buried in some dusty book or hunting down a monster, he worked out every chance that he could to keep himself occupied. Not that you were complaining from the sight you woke up to this morning. He always looked like a boy next door to you, he had a sweet, almost innocent, smile. But the Sam Winchester standing in front of you wasn’t that anymore.

“Please, don’t stop on my account.” You reassured the younger Winchester, your lips curling into a smirk as you watched him do one more curl on the exposed piping of the motel room before dropping down to the ground. He must have been up for at least an hour, maybe even more.

Sam grew a smile as he chuckled to himself at what you said, “I’m done.”

You nodded your head slowly, trying to think about what you were doing before, but your eyes had found themselves drifting away from his face and to what he was wearing for his workout—it was just jeans, and nothing else. You exhaled a breath as you took notice of how much his hard work had been paying off this past year. Not that he wasn’t in bad shape before, the man had always been a bit of a health freak. Now it seemed that he was completely obsessed with it, changing himself into someone that looked like who had jumped out right off of those magazine covers for fitness. Maybe he’d been hiding those muscles from you all this time. And took you until now to see him in all of his handsome glory.

You didn’t let yourself stare at him any longer when you realized how creepy you suddenly felt, and how you should be starting the day. You sat up in bed and pulled the sheets to your chest, your leg slipped out from the covers and hung off the side of the bed. You began looking around the room for any sort of piece of clothing you could put on. The sounds of footsteps approaching the bed made you look up from the ground to notice Sam was heading your direction, and with a glint in his eyes that you’d seen just the previous night before after locking the motel room door.

You tilted your head to the side and gave him a look, “Last night wasn’t enough for you?”

“Please,” Sam scoffed and crawled into bed with you, not wasting a second of his time to get back on top of you, making you lean back in the pillows. A smirk began to spread across your lips from the exact same position you found yourself in last night as he leaned down to kiss you. But he let himself hover over you for a moment, making you feel the puffs of his hot breath tickle your skin. “It’s never enough with you.”

Sam Winchester should have felt guilty for what he was doing right now, knowing that he was about to have sex with his brother’s ex-girlfriend—his best friend—it would have ate him up inside if he even thought about doing it. But he was different from who he was last year. He didn’t know what it was. His instincts were different. All he knew was that he liked this. He liked how you looked, how your skin felt against his. Little things that were based upon natural human needs, drives that people had to keep them alive. Emotional needs didn’t drive him anymore. He did things to survive, like eating and bathing. He kept on hunting because that’s what he knew, what he was good at. He did it because it was survival of the fittest. It was either kill, or be killed.

Sex was an instinct, too. He had a drive like anyone else on this planet. That’s why he was lying here with you because that’s what his body needed to survive. In the back of his head, he knew that he could get any girl that he wanted. Or, if he wasn’t feeling like picking out one in a bar, he could always pay a hooker a few hundred bucks to do whatever he wanted. But he didn’t want that. Back when he felt…normal, he had harbored a small crush towards you. A demon named Brady, the son of a bitch who was rightfully in Hell, brought it all out in the open right before he died. The demon could see that Sam liked you, and it wasn’t just for the cocktail of demon blood that Lucifer tricked him into wanting. He had thoughts.

Sam wasn’t a saint, he didn’t like it how his mind wandered to places that weren’t…virgin pure. It bothered him that he thought of you like that. But that was his old self. Now he didn’t care if he had the occasional thought that turned x-rated. Because whenever he got an itch, you were so eager to throw yourself at him. Sam slipped a hand underneath the sheet to grab a handful of your ass, but the sound of his phone going off made you groan in frustration. The moment that barely had a chance to start was ruined. 

Sam unwillingly pulled away and sat up in bed, reaching for the phone when he noticed that it was on the nightstand. He was gonna let it go to voicemail, but when he noticed that it was his brother, the man made sure to answer it. “Hey.”

“Hey.” You could hear a familiar voice come from the other end, and if you had to guess, it was Dean. “I’m about eight hours out of the Campbell base.”

“Change of plans. Y/N and I need you to meet me. We’re in PA, town called Easter.” Sam explained the situation, his brother seemed a little surprised to hear that the both of you had jumped so quickly onto another project. “We caught a case.”

“When?” Dean asked. “It’s been a day and a half.”

“I like to work.” Sam muttered without much of a thought, as his attention drifted over to you. He watched as you pushed your legs up to your chest, letting the sheet cover the parts of your body that he ever so desperately wanted to see. You waved your index finger at him as you gave him a ‘come hither’ look to keep things moving again. You heard Dean say something from the other line, but it went unnoticed without much thought. “Glad we hashed that out. Call me when you roll into town. But, uh, look,I gotta go. I’m in the middle of something…“

"Yeah, yeah. Who died and made you—”

Sam dropped the phone to the bed,not hearing what his brother was saying, or think about hitting the right button to end the call. Your lips quickly pressed themselves against his as his hands found the way to the sheet that was covering your body. With a simple tug, it fell to the ground, resulting you in letting out a soft laugh before it turned into a moan that came out in the form of Sam’s name when your head hit the pillow. Your arm reached out to dig your nails into the younger man’s back to push him forward. Only you didn’t realize that you had pushed the phone a few inches closer to you. And Dean didn’t hang up the phone just yet.

Dean raised his brow in surprise when he heard the faint sounds of noises that came out from the other end of the phone, very happy ones that he was all too familiar with. It seemed that his brother’s business was all too important to learn how to properly hang up the damn phone so he wouldn’t have to hear things just would scar him for life. The man couldn’t help himself but smirk, happy to know that Sam decided to cut loose and have a bit of fun. He got ready to end the call, not really wanting to hear his brother get off, but the only noises that came from the other side of the phone was from the woman sharing his Sam’s bed. She let out a laugh, it was a sweet one that caught Dean off guard. He froze in his spot.

He knew that laugh, who’s moans that he heard. The man heard it a million times before. He once had been the reason why she got excited like that. Hell, he dreamt about it just this morning. Could it really be…? No, they wouldn’t. It was just his mind playing tricks of him. A lot of girls sound the same. It had to be some chick Sam didn’t want to get rid of just yet. But Dean knew better. He found himself growing uncomfortable. Angry.

Dean could have ended the call, let his speculation be brushed off with a chuckle. But he didn’t. He pressed the phone closer against his ear. Curiosity always gets the best in people. What if they were? How long had it been going on for? Why? Close quarters. Shared motel rooms. Long car rides. A need for someone to scratch an itch. Sam was safe, caring. A familiar face you might feel comfortable to snuggle up to. Dean tried to reason with himself. It was better than some guy you would pick up in a bar. And better than one of those Campbells—

No. Dean felt a smile spread across his lips. You thought of the young man like a little brother. Sam would know better than to go after you. The both of you were best friends. Nothing else.

“And Y/N, I never knew you could be such a MILF.”

Dean suddenly found himself thinking back to the hunt you worked on not that long ago, what he thought he heard his brother say. He wasn’t the type to make remarks like that. Dean would say something to you. It was all in his head, he kept telling himself, but he kept on listening, wondering if he could hear anything. Curiosity killed the cat. And, just like what he wanted, the man heard the noise again.

He knew the noise he heard was a moan. A very happy, female one. It sound of sounded like the one he used to hear what felt like a million years ago to him. The one he had a dreamed about last night.

Dean quickly ended the call before he could hear the female voice say a name. The man let out a breath as he tried his hardest to unclench his grip around the phone. No. He kept telling himself. You wouldn’t be sleeping with Sam. Your best friend, his little brother.

Why was he even making a big deal in the first place? His mind was playing tricks on him, that’s all. Dean let out a nervous chuckle as he ended the phone call. He had Lisa now. How you and Sam chose to spend your time together was none of his business. He had a perfectly eligible, beautiful and understanding woman waiting for him whenever he needed her. He didn’t need you anymore. You were his best friend. Nothing more, nothing less. Dean got himself into his car and decided to get going on the long drive to Pennsylvania. But the entire way there, his mind kept thinking about you.

\+ + +

 

You bent down slightly and shifted your weight forward, trying your hardest to somehow inspect your chest region best that you could in the car’s side mirrors. You inspected every inch of your skin, hoping that you managed to cover up all the purple spots he left on your neck and collar bones. Lucky for you, concealer and foundation could go a long way, making the morning activities that you were now regretting almost be as if nothing happened. Seeing that you were back to normal, you stood up straighter and turned to the car window to face your reflection. You smoothed down your white blouse and skirt, making sure you looked presentable enough.

“What? Don’t like the little gift I gave you?” Your eyes wandered to a familiar face that joined you in the reflection of the car window. Sam’s comment made your lips stretch into a frown and look over at him. The man had the audacity to start grinning from your reaction. “Come on, Y/N. It’s just a hickey.”

“Just a hickey? You left, like, five. I feel like a teenager.” You muttered underneath your breath, rolling your eyes from his almost cocky behavior that he managed to get away with. You lifted up your chin, inspecting to see if you had missed a spot out of caution. “It’s just so…ugh.”

“Correct me if I’m wrong, but from what I could remember, you weren’t complaining. In fact,” Sam leaned down as he passed you by, his hand ever so sneakily grabbing a handful of your ass as his lips hovered over the shell of your ear. “Weren’t you begging for me to keep going?”

You swallowed as you looked away from the reflection in the car window and to the bystanders casually walking the street. Suddenly, like someone caught in a terrible act, you were overcome with fright at the sight of the Impala in all her glory. You quickly slapped Sam’s hands away as you circled around the car so you were now standing next to the trunk to greet the older Winchester. You inhaled a shaky breath as you quickly pretended to act casual. Sam didn’t seem all that bothered. He casually grabbed the case file from the trunk and opened it up, he skimmed the information as he waited for Dean to finish up the call he had before slipping out of the car to greet the both of you.

“Ben, I know you’re lying. Because I lie professionally, that’s how. Now, tell your mom that you broke the damn thing and take it like a man.” Dean was talking to Lisa’s son, and from the way that the conversation was going, the young man was trying his hardest to avoid a punishment. Sam let out a quiet chuckle as you leaned against the car, feeling your nerves calm down when you noticed that Dean hadn’t even looked in your direction yet. “Okay? Okay, okay.”

“Wow.” Sam chuckled to himself as he looked up from the file that he had been reading. Dean ended the call after Ben agreed to tell the truth. The older Winchester looked at his brother, wondering what sort of remark that was about to come out of his mouth. “You, molding the minds of tomorrow. Who knew?”

“Yeah, tell me about it.” Dean muttered underneath his breath. He waved his hand at the man, signaling for his brother to hand over the case file.

“How’d it go?” Sam asked. The man looked up from the papers and gave his brother a slightly confused look from what he was wondering. You looked at the younger Winchester from the corner of your eye from his choice of conversation starters. “You and Lisa. How did she take it when you bailed?”

“Shockingly cool, actually.” Dean admitted, you let out the quietest scoff.

Sam slowly nodded his head, “Better for everybody.”

“Yeah, I suppose.” Dean agreed with what his brother said. You stepped onto the sidewalk and began walking inside to the police department building, Sam following just inches behind you. The older Winchester stared at the both of you for a few seconds, not sure what he was trying to pick up on. You looked over your shoulder and gave him a look to catch up. Dean’s eyes adverted to Sam’s car. “Still driving the plastic piece of crap, huh?”

“What’s your mileage again?”

“Shut up.”

You and the boys headed into the building to look at the body of the recently deceased with your own eyes to see what was going on here. It was almost like nothing had happened between the three of you. You gotten yourself back into the comfortable walking rhythm with you being stuck in the middle of the brothers. While you headed down to the morgue, you explained the case of what you knew to Dean as he overlooked the police report to catch himself up.

“Officer Gerald Hatch, a seventeen-year veteran. Found dead in the ready room three days ago.” You said. Dean made an unpleasant face as he made a remark about how the man was a bit over hydrated. You let out a quiet laugh from his commentary. The three of you headed into a pair of double doors and flashed your badges at one of the workers so you wouldn’t rouse suspicion. “Basically, yeah. Guy just liquefied. Most of the beat, bones, dense tissues, they just turned to blood.”

“Okay, I don’t get it.” Dean said.

Sam shrugged his shoulders, “Nobody gets it.”

“No, I mean, I get that.” The older Winchester said. “If the guy was a mop job, what are we doing in the morgue? What’s left of him to look at?”

“We’re not here to look at him.” You said, getting to the reason all of you were here in the first place. You turned around to read the title cards on each of the cooler doors before you found the one you were looking for. You opened up the door and bent over to pull out the dead body, not realizing that you had two pairs of eyes staring at an…asset of yours. But you managed to put their attention to where it counted when you ripped the sheet off the dead man’s body, taking Dean by surprise, at least. “Boys, meet officer Toby Gray. They just brought him in. Found him dead in his patrol car at a speed trap on the outside of town.”

You slightly winced at the sight of the man’s body that was now reduced to skin that was covered in painful looking boils and a permanent look on his face that would mean a closed casket for the funeral they would be having soon. Dean skimmed the autopsy report and let out a scoff, “Extreme allergic reaction.”

“Boils.” You said, knowing that it was easy enough from the sight of him that you could tell what was covering his skin. You grimaced as you looked away from the sight that was starting to make you feel uncomfortable. “Covered head to toe.”

“On the inside, too. His airways are chock-full of them.” Dean read off the report. He glanced down at the body, a suspicion of who could have done this crossed his mind. “This starting to look a little witch-y to you?”

“That was our first instinct, but we found zero signs of hex work anywhere.” Sam said. “Far as we can tell, witchcraft was not involved.”

“You two really grew an umbilical cord while I was gone, huh?” Dean ever so quietly muttered a remark underneath his breath. You furrowed your brow and gave him a look, but from the way that you were staring at him, you didn’t hear what he said. “There’s gotta be some sort of link between Skidmark and Bubblewrap here. We got a witness, at least?”

“We do, in fact.” You said. You slipped a hand into the pocket of your skirt and pulled out your small notebook with all your notes written down. “An officer Ed Colfax. Saw Hatch go from a solid to a liquid.”

Dean seemed a bit confused, “Another cop?”

“Ah, here’s where things get interesting.” You said. “Hatch’s partner.”

“Guessing our next stop is to talk to the partner.” The older Winchester presumed. You smiled at him and said a remark about how he was catching on again. Sam shoved the dead cop back into the cooler and slammed the door. “So, Y/N,” You looked over at the man when you heard him say your name, your lips stretched into a smile. “Wanna ditch Sammy’s matchbox car and take Baby instead? Hell, I’ll even let you drive. Like old times.”

“Oh,” Your smile faltered slightly as you looked over at the younger Winchester before back at his brother. “Can we do that another time? I actually like riding with Sam in our car. All of my stuff is in there. It’s just more convenient for me. But we’ll meet you there. Okay?”

Dean slipped his hands into the pockets of his dress pants and nodded his head in agreement with the plan that he wasn’t expecting to hear. You would have jumped at the opportunity to ride Baby. Back when the three of you hunted like family. Dean exhaled a deep breath and watched the two of you with a close eye, almost like he was expecting anything out of the ordinary. Nothing seemed strange when you headed out, smiling at Sam when he held open the door for you like a gentleman. As you disappeared from sight, Sam looked over his shoulder and to his brother. Dean furrowed his brow when he saw his little brother give him this sly little smirk before he left, like all of this was a little game, and he was winning.

\+ + +

The drive to Ed Colfax’s house wouldn’t take long, no more than fifteen minutes from the police station to the neighborhood he lived on. You sat in the passenger seat of the car as you looked over the witness statement he gave to brief yourself again. Sam turned the wheel when a turn came up and made you look up absentmindedly to see that you were just a few seconds away. You were about to look down at the papers, but out of nowhere, your head quickly snapped up to see a car come speeding from the other street. You were about to mutter something about reckless drivers. But the reckless driver had an awfully familiar looking car. You couldn’t help yourself but grow the slightest smirk when you realized it was Dean, showing off what a real car could do. Sam, however, wasn’t the least bit impressed at the tricks his brother did.

“He’s still got it, that’s for sure.” You said, biting your bottom lip in amusement from how easy the boys could do the most simplest things to make it a competition. “You better watch out, Sammy.”

You heard the younger Winchester let out a scoff, not the least bit afraid of some trick with a car that was older than the three of you. You slipped out of the car, the boys following behind. Dean circled around Baby, you shook your head and grew another smile from how the two of them were acting. The older Winchester like nothing was wrong, Sam caught up, wondering if what had just happened was what he thought it was.

“Were you, uh,” Sam locked his car and headed forward to his brother. He let out a chuckle from what he was about to ask. “Were you racing me?”

“No.” Dean said, rolling his eyes. “I was kicking your ass.”

“Very mature, boys.” You teased them as you lightly patted the both of them on the back before you squeezed yourself between them to walk faster up the driveway. However, you looked over your shoulder and gave Dean a playful wink. “But I gotta say, nothing beats Baby.”

It was Dean’s turn to smirk, Sam rolled his eyes from your comment. The three of you headed to the doorway and knocked a few times, waiting for someone to answer. But after a long pause with no answer, Dean tried again.

“Hello? Officer Colfax?” Dean called out, knocking harder this time to get a response. You crossed your arms over your chest and waited. The door swung open a few seconds later to reveal the officer, who was dressed in full uniform, and taken off guard from the sight of three strangers on his doorstep. “Whoa. Looking sharp, Kojak.”

“Who the hell are you?” The officer asked, hostility in his voice.

“We’re the Feds, Ed, here to ask you questions about your partner’s death.” Sam said, flashing his badge at the officer.

“Don’t worry about it.” Ed said. You furrowed your brow in concern from his tone of voice, it was robotic, like that was the only thing he knew how to say. “It’s nobody’s business.”

“Officer Colfax—”

“Don’t worry about it!”

He slammed the door on your face, cutting you off with the same excuse you heard not even a few seconds before. You looked over at the boys, not sure if you should knock again, Dean shrugged his shoulders. Sam, however, knew one way to grant all of you access. He took a step backwards before his leg went swinging right into the door, breaking it wide open. Dean was taken back at what the hell the man just did, you rolled your eyes in frustration, knowing this was only a taste of what Sam thought was right nowadays. But you followed behind into the house when Ed didn’t say anything.

You were greeted with pictures on the wall, a lifetime captured in snapshots. But the faces in the photographs were unseen. Someone had scratched out every single one—until there was nothing left except for blank spaces of what was. You wandered into the house to see that Ed was hard at work with a knife, scratching out what you could only assume was his own face in his official line of duty. He didn’t stop what he was doing, almost like he was lost in a trance.

“Hey, man, you all right?” Dean asked.

“Don’t worry about it.” Ed muttered the same excuse at the man.

“Right…Look, Officer Colfax, Ed, uh, we think that your partner died of unnatural causes.” Dean tried to pretend like everything was normal as he started to ask the man some questions that would be helpful for all of you. Ed stared blankly at the man as he scratched his head with his hat still on. “Did he have any enemies that you know of?”

“Unh. You might say that.” Ed said. You raised a brow, asking him who that might be. “They both had it coming. Me too. I’ll be the next one to go, and then it’ll be over. And God will be satisfied.”

“Why does God want you dead?” You asked him, watching as he shamelessly took a drink of whiskey from his coffee cup.

“Because of Christopher Birch. Oh, damn it.” Ed muttered when he accidentally tipped over the new bottle of whiskey he bought. He seemed upset, but showed no signs of actually stopping the stuff from pouring out. He just watched it pour out. You were all too confused at what the hell was going on here, so, you asked who this Christopher was. “He was no face.”

Ed continued on watching the bottle pour out the liquid, almost like he was in a trace. You tried asking if he was all right, but the man didn’t respond. Finally, after a few seconds, he picked up the bottle and placed it back to normal.

“Who is Christopher Birch, Ed?” Sam questioned the man in a serious tone. You slowly looked away from the officer and to the younger Winchester. He took a step forward as his voice got even harder. “Ed.”

“Christopher Birch is a kid with no face. And a planted gun.” Ed said, giving you a little bit more of an insight. But things only got weirder. You watched as a trickle of blood come down the man’s face. You pointed at your forehead, signaling the man that he had something on his face. He took notice of the blood, but he didn’t freak. He just shrugged it off. “Damn. My head’s been itching like a dirty jock.”

And just like that, the man fell face onto the table. You opened your mouth slightly, wondering what the actual hell had just happened. Sam stepped forward and placed two fingers on the man’s neck, only to confirm what you had suspected—Ed was dead. You let out a quiet sigh, knowing you were stuck at another dead end to figure out what was going on here. But, if you thought the weird was done, it was just getting started.

The faintest sound of buzzing, like insects, suddenly began to echo in the room. You looked around, wondering where the noise was coming from. But Sam had a sneaky suspicion of where it was coming from. He reached for Ed’s cap, and by taking it off, he figured out where the blood was coming from, and why his head itched so much. You quickly covered your hands with your face and turned around, suddenly overcome with disgust at what you saw. Dean winced to see that Ed didn’t have much of a brain. It was occupied by at least a few loctus, which decided to claw its way out of the man’s skull.

\+ + +

You’d been working perfectly fine over the past couple of hours after getting back from seeing a cop drop dead from a few bugs sitting in his skull. The image of his body laying over the table with his cap off to reveal a nightmare fueled sight crossed your mind all over again. You grimaced at the image as your hand lifted itself up from the keyboard to lightly scratch your head when you felt a phantom itch. The both of you had kept your distance so you could work. Of course, sooner or later, they were going to find their way to the spot at the table where you sat.

Your nose wrinkled slightly as you looked away from the laptop screen and to the mason jar sitting next to you. Dean had absentmindedly grabbed the jar from Sam as they spoke about possible theories until you made the connection of what killed the police officers. You quickly looked back to your screen when you heard the faintest sound of something hitting the glass. One of them thought it’d be funny if they jumped around in their confinements.

You’d been to Hell twice, turned into a demon, dealt with all kinds of scary monsters. Not to mention, you’ve faced the Devil himself and his big brother down in the cage. And yet, what was the one thing that made you squirm nervously in your seat? A couple of bugs in a jar. To be fair, they were a bunch of nasty little creatures that scratched their way out of a man’s skull. You just didn’t understand why Sam insisted on bringing them back to the motel.

“Sweet. Blood, boils, locusts.” Dean said, flipping through a few photographs you’d found online after making the discovery of what each death had meant and their connection.

“Three of your more popular Egyptian plagues.” Sam muttered without much interest as he kept scrolling through his laptop for more information to what you were dealing with.

“Yeah, but these guys ate their way out of a cop’s melon.” Dean said. He put the papers down to the table and grabbed the jar. You grimaced when you saw him tip the thing to the side, making you paranoid the lid was going to somehow fall off and the bugs were going to crawl themselves on you. “I don’t quite remember that in the King James.”

“Perhaps someone wants to bring it into the twenty first century. Meanwhile, a kid named Christopher Birch was shot in the head last month after a vehicle pursuit.” You read some of the report you managed to find after doing some digging, and what a read it was. A scoff fell out from your mouth from what you discovered. “Hatch, Gray, and Colfax were the officers involved. And, shocker, they all filed the exact same police report.”

“‘Suspect exited vehicle brandishing a firearm. We were forced to fire.’ Just a kid with no face and a planted gun. Bunch of dicks.” Dean muttered the remark underneath his breath. He found himself overcome with the same anger that you had when he read the statement for himself. It was the exact same wording the three officers had used. Each of them went scot free to serve another day, no questions asked. “So they popped the kid, planted the piece.”

“Maybe Colfax is right. Maybe Heaven has a hate on for bad cops. I mean, eye for an eye.” You said, shrugging your shoulders at your weak theory. “Maybe they’re finally sticking to their word.”

“So we’re listening to the guy with the bug in his custard?” Dean asked. You rolled your eyes in slight frustration from the lack of support he was giving you. You watched him get up from the table and to the fridge, where he went to grab himself a cold beer. “That’s the theory you wanna go with, Nancy Drew?”

You quickly looked up from your laptop screen when you heard a nickname that hadn’t been spoken in a very long time. You could feel your heartbeat suddenly pound faster in your chest, making you feel like a schoolgirl hanging around her crush, and he’d just spoken a special word that only the two of you understood the meaning of. You managed to get your head out from the clouds and cleared your throat, pretending everything was perfectly fine. You couldn’t keep doing this every time Dean something that reminded you of before.

“Dean, angels gotta have something to do, right? I’m sure they’ve got lots of free time on their hands since we sort of diffused their big plans.” You said, trying to somehow convince the man of your possible theory that didn’t sound all too solid. But it was the only lead you had right now, and while it sounded a bit dodgy, you hoped that the angels were doing something good for humanity instead of trying to destroy it. “Maybe they’re actually trying to help for once.”

“Maybe.” Dean muttered, still sounding not too sure. “You should call Cas.”

“Great plan. How did I not think of that? Yeah. Let me just get out my hot pink Barbie flip phone and we’ll all have a nice, long chat. Like old times” You were nothing short of sarcastic as you got up from your seat at the table to stretch your legs. You made your way over to the fridge to get yourself a beer. “It’s not like that was my first, second and third thing on my to-do list.”

Dean wandered over to the double beds sitting on the other side of the room and took a seat on the exact one that you had been on this morning with Sam, but he would have never guessed that. He took another sip of his beer and watched the both of you for a moment. Sam sat at the table with his eyes glued to the laptop, too engrossed with his own work to figure out that someone was staring at him. You opened up the fridge door and peeked your head into what you might find to drink. The older Winchester placed back his hand and rested his weight back to get comfortable. However, something soft and hard, like wire, brushed against his hand when he noticed a strange outline underneath the sheets.

“Well, I’m gonna take a wild guess about what was on Sammy’s list,“ You looked over your shoulder when you saw something creep into the corner of your eye. You twisted off the top to the beer you grabbed from the fridge and turned around in your spot, noticing that Dean had found something interesting from underneath the sheets. The oldest Winchester held up one of those fancy push up bras Lisa had worn for him on occasion. He watched as the rosiest tint of color began to slowly spread across your cheeks. Dean knew one of the ways he could tell of how you were lying was how your cheeks got warm. But you looked at him directly in the eye when the both of you made eye contact. “Was to have some fun.”

“With who? Y/N? That’s her bra you’re holding.” Sam looked away from his laptop screen and to the undergarment you had been trying to find this morning after he carelessly tore it off of you last night. “Dude, the only company that I’ve been having was with her.”

“Really? ‘Cause it sure seemed like you had a happy guest when you called me.” Dean said. You could feel your grip around the glass bottle, to the point where you felt like it was going to shatter in your hand from how his tone of voice had gotten. He knew. Oh my God. He heard you. "Word of advice for you Sammy, learn how to hang up the damn phone properly.”

“Wait…you think?” Sam found lying so much more easier lately, it just fell right out of his mouth without much a second thought. His laugh turned into a soft chuckle when his gaze fell over to you, like he was suddenly hiding a secret from you and his brother. You furrowed your brow ever so slightly, wondering what the hell his great excuse was going to be. “I, uh, sort of met this girl. Y/N was checking out the case for a few hours. One thing lead to another…and then you called.”

“Fantastic. We’ve come to the conclusion that Sam’s gotten some. And you’re still holding onto my favorite bra.” You said, pushing yourself off the table as you pointed your finger at the undergarment that was too expensive for you to lose. "And yet, Cas isn’t here to enjoy this lovely conversation. Like I said, the stupid son of a bitch won’t answer the phone.”

“Well, let’s give it a shot.” Dean tossed the undergarment to the headboard and shut his eyes to say a little prayer to bring the angel from above down to earth for a nice chat. “Now I lay me down to sleep…I pray to Castiel to get his feathery ass down here.”

“You’re an idiot.” Sam said, thinking the man was only wasting his time.

“Stay positive.” Dean tried to look on the bright side of things.

“Oh, I am positive.” The younger Winchester muttered underneath his breath as he went back to typing his laptop. You couldn’t help yourself but let out a soft chuckle from the remark.

“Come on, Cas. Don’t be a dick. Got ourselves a plague-like situation down here and…” Dean tried to bait the angel to come out of hiding. He waited to hear the sounds of wings fluttering, but all he was greeted with was silence. Dean pried one eye open as he looked around the motel for a second. “Do you—Do you copy?”

You weren’t sure what you were expecting. The last time you had seen Cas was right before Lucifer blew him into nothing more than blood and guts. You heard from Dean that he was good as new, thanks to God. But it seemed the angel was back to his old self, too good to be bothered to say hello to a couple of humans. Not even Dean himself could get the angel of the Lord out from hiding. You put down your beer to the table and sat back down at the table, knowing this was a chance for you to say, “I told you so.”

“Quit wasting your breath, Dean. He’s too good for us now. Like I said, the son of a bitch doesn’t answer—" You were about to say that Cas had been absent for the past year, but it seemed you were losing your audience. You watched as the older Winchester’s eyes slowly drifted away from you as you continued on speaking. Sam slowly looked over his shoulder, you let out a quiet sigh and rolled your eyes from what was going on here. “Let me guess take a wild guess. He’s right behind me, isn’t he?”

You quickly looked over your shoulder to see a face you hadn’t seen in well over a year. You could feel your jaw tense up as your lips stretched into a frown when a pair of blue eyes stared directly into yours. There he stood in the same trench coat, same vessel named Jimmy Novak. He noticed that you were growing tense, the angel gave you a slight smile.

“Hello, Y/N.” Cas greeted you.

You quickly looked over at the older Winchester, who sat there with a little smirk on his lips that you suddenly were desperate to smack off. But your anger was quickly directed to the angel that stood behind you.

“Hello?” You repeated after the angel, as if that wasn’t what he said. Cas furrowed his brow slightly in confusion, wondering why you were so upset. But you kept repeating what he said. Your voice lowered until you were mocking his gravelly, deep tone. “Hello. Hello?!”

“Uh,” The angel seemed caught off guard from your hostile behavior as he looked over at Dean, wondering if he might have done something wrong. Dean slumped his shoulders as he head fell down, wondering how Cas could be so naive on things. “That is still the term?”

“I spent all that time trying to get through to you. Dean calls once and now it’s ‘hello’?” You mocked him again as you pushed yourself up to your feet, circling the table until you were right next to the angel. Cas simply said yes. You clenched your hands into fists as you let out a sigh, trying to somehow contain your anger. “So, what, you like him better than me?”

“Dean and I do share a more profound bond.” Cas said. The angel looked over at Dean, who sat on the bed with a look of an annoyance from what he heard come out of the man’s mouth. “I wasn’t gonna mention it.”

“Okay, look. I get it. I know we didn’t get along when I first met you. We bumped heads a lot. And, yeah, I admit that I was kind of a bitch. But at the end of it, I thought we were friends. Friends that can depend on one another.” You said. You stared at the angel with a hurt expression, showing him how much his absence affected you. “I spent months trying to get ahold of you. And here Dean opens his big, fat mouth and suddenly you show up out of thin air.”

“Cas, I think what Y/N’s trying to say is that she went to hell with Sam for us. I mean, they really took one for the team. Remember that?” Dean tried to jog the angel’s memory as he pushed himself up to his feet, trying to defuse a possible argument from the look that settled in your face. “And then they come back without a clue, and you can’t take five freaking minutes to give them some answers?”

“If I had any answers, I might have responded,” Cas explained to the older Winchester. You crossed your arms over your chest when the angel looked in your direction. “But I don’t know, Y/N. We have no idea who brought you two back from the cage. Or why.”

You let out a quiet sigh as you looked down at the younger Winchester, the both of you suddenly seemed uneasy from the information that you heard. Sam pushed himself to his feet and asked, “So it wasn’t God?”

“No one’s even seen God. The whole thing remains mysterious.” Cas said. You furrowed your brow in confusion as you asked the angel what he could have possibly meant by that, curious to what had been going on with him during his time away. “What part of 'I don’t know escapes your understand, Y/N?”

“Well, excuse me. Look who’s all high and mighty again. Too cool for us, huh?” You let out a quiet chuckle from his remark as you crossed your arms tighter around your chest. “You might be your old self again, but I won’t hesitate to smack that angel grace out of you.”

“Okay, all right. Let’s not ruin this moment we’ve got going here.” Dean, yet again, managed to squeeze himself back into the conversation before things could escalate. “Cas, look, if Y/N or Sam calls, you answer. Okay? You wing your ass down here and you tell them, ‘I don’t know.’ Just because we have some sort of bond or whatever—”

“You think I came because you called?” Cas wondered. “I came because of this.”

“Well, it’s nice to know what matters.” You muttered underneath your breath.

“It does help one to focus.” The angel said, who wandered over to the table and inspected all the hard work you’d been doing this afternoon. He inspected the biblical like artwork that you had printed after you figured out how the cops died, Castiel stared at them with almost little, to no interest.

“Wait,” Sam said, “So you and the Halo Patrol aren’t the cause of these killings?”

“No. But they were committed with one of our weapons. There’s only one thing that could have brought this into existence. You call it the staff of Moses.” Cas explained as he reached out to grab the mason jar to inspect the locusts inside. You found yourself staring at the angel with a bit of a funny expression, wondering if he was talking about the real deal. “It was used in a dominance display against the Egyptians, as I recall.

Dean scoffed, “Yeah, that one made the papers.”

“I thought the staff turned a river into blood,” You said. “not one dude.”

“The weapon isn’t being used at full capacity.” The angel muttered. He thought quietly to himself for a moment before he looked back up at you and the boys. “I think we can rule Moses out as a suspect.”

"Damn it.” You hissed, snapping your fingers in frustration. “I was betting my money on him. That son of a bitch was on the top of my list, too.”

“Okay, well, what is Chuck Heston’s disco stick doing down here anyway?” Dean asked, finding your sarcastic remark the least bit funny. “I mean, don’t you guys put away your toys?”

“Before the apocalypse, Heaven may have been corrupt, but it was stable. The staffed was safely contained.” Cas said. You watched as he walked across the room with the jar still in his hands, explaining what he had been dealing with this past year. “It’s been chaos up there since the war ended. In that confusion, a number of powerful weapons were stolen.”

“Wait, you’re saying your nukes are stolen?” Dean questioned the angel, making sure what he heard was exactly right.

“Yes, I’m afraid so. But you’ve stumbled onto one of them. We must find the weapon that did this.” Cas said, as if that wasn’t a given from the situation you were dealing with. All of you were on the exact same page, so it seemed harmless from what he asked for. “I need your help.”

“Really? You need my help? Well, of course.” You said, your lips stretching into a smirk as you let out a laugh. You shook your head and scoffed. Cas didn’t seem to be all that pleased. You saw something in your direction, and like a natural instinct, you reached out to grab whatever he threw at you. Only when you realized what you were holding was the jar. You grimaced and roughly tossed it over to Sam. “My God, Cas. Don’t do that.”

“Sam, Dean, Y/N, My ‘people skills’ are ‘rusty.’ Pardon me, but I have spent the last ‘year’ as a multidimensional wavelength of celestial intent.” Castiel wasn’t in the mood anymore for your remarks that weren’t funny and the sort of trivial information that human possessed that the boys spoke. There was a bigger problem here that need the four of you to solve. “But believe me, you do not want that weapon down here. Help me find it, or more people will die.”

“All right, okay.” Dean agreed with the angel. “Well, if the angels didn’t pull the trigger, then that brings us back to motive.”

Cas nodded his head slowly, but his face scrunched up slightly in confusion, "What?”

“Back to the case, Sherlock. If your siblings didn’t do this, that means someone with a little less star power did.” You said. You walked back over to the table and grabbed a newspaper clipping that had been this morning’s front cover. Your lips stretched into a frown at the sight of a father who stood at a podem, demanding a rightful justice for his son that was taken too soon from him from a bunch of dirty pigs. “Now we got three dead cops. Only thing linking them is this. ‘Father of slain suspect calls for investigation.’”

The four of you agreed you might have a sneaky suspicion to who could have done this. Grief could make someone do something stupid, you knew that better than anyone. You grabbed your jacket off from the bed and shrugged it on, thinking you had another minute before you would be sent halfway across town into the Birch’s living room. But you barely got the chance to pull the jacket over your shoulder before you felt Cas touch your forehead, making you feel weightless for one split second, before your feet lightly thudded against a carpeted floor. You quickly looked around the room, knowing well enough from the older gentleman sitting on a couch that you weren’t in your motel room anymore.

“Cas,” You hissed at the angel. “Give a girl a little warning next time.”

Mr. Birch jumped up from the couch, noticing right away of the four strangers standing in his living room. With rightful suspicion, he asked, “How’d you get in here?”

“Settle down, Mr. Birch. Federal agents.” Sam pulled out his badge to show the man, thinking that it’d be enough to explain how you came out of thin air. Of course, it didn’t. He seemed a little angry at the fact you and the boys walked into his home without even knocking first. The younger Winchester, however, found the newspaper clipping spread across the coffee table with each article about the same topic. “Quite a collection you got there, huh?”

“What are you trying to—” Mr. Birch tried to ask a question, Sam cut the man off.

“Look, we know the truth, all right? Chris didn’t have a gun on him when those cops shot him. They set him up.” Sam said. Mr. Birch nodded his head in agreement. But what he muttered underneath his breath didn’t make him look like the grieving father anymore. Your eyes narrowed your eyes on the man from his remark about how they were getting theirs. “And who’s giving it to them, Darryl?”

“Darryl,” You spoke up after the man fell silent form the question he didn’t want to answer. “Did you kill Toby Gray and the others?”

“Me? I didn’t kill anyone.” Mr. Birch defended himself. He pointed to the newspaper articles, as if that was enough to show those cops had died of natural causes. Strange and painful ones. But God worked in mysterious ways. “Look at how they died.”

“You smote them with the staff of Moses.” Cas said, cutting straight to the point.

Mr. Birch furrowed his brow and looked at the angel like he’d just grown a second head, “What the hell kind of Fed are you?”

“We don’t have time for this.” The angel muttered. He walked over to the man and asked him straight out, “Where is it?”

But he wasn’t the one you were looking for. “Leave my dad alone.”

You quickly looked over your shoulder when you heard a voice come from behind you. A kid, who looked to be no more than twelve or thirteen, stood in the doorway with a stick in his grip. He pointed it at you like it was a gun. You furrowed your brow as you tilted your head to the side, inspecting what he was holding with a bit of confusion.

“Is that—”

“Yes.”

“I’m not an expert on all things holy,” You said. “But shouldn’t it be…bigger?”

“Yes, it’s—been sawed off.” Cas said, seeming baffled himself at what he was seeing.

“Leave him alone, it wasn’t him.” The kid said. Everyone was confused at what the hell was going on here, but Mr. Birch tried to defuse the situation before his son could make a mistake. Cas turned around and put a finger to the man’s forehead, knocking him out for the meantime so you could have a private conversation with the kid holding a part of Moses’ staff. “What did you do to him?”

“He’s all right, he’s just sleeping.” You reassured the kid. You blinked, and just like that, Cas was across the room, standing behind the kid and taking the stick out of his grip. You gave him a look, warning him to be careful and doing something stupid. You looked away from the angel and to the kid who looked nothing but frightened from was going on. You gave him a warm smile and walked over to him. “Listen, we’re not here to hurt you, okay? But you need to know. Where did you get this thing?”

“Please don’t kill my dad.” The kid pleaded with you, slowly walking backwards until he was leaning against the front door. “It was me. I did it.“

"Relax, kid. Nobody’s killing anybody.” You reassured him. “What’s your name?”

“Aaron. Aaron Birch.” He answered for you.

“Okay, Aaron Birch, where did you get this?” You asked him, nodding your head to the piece of wood that Cas was holding. The kid was silent for a second before he said the classic line that none of you would believe him. You let out a quiet laugh. “Try me.”

“It was an angel.” Aaron confessed. You raised your brow in surprise, wondering how the God squad had somehow fit all back into this. “Those liars, they killed my brother and nothing bad ever happened to them. It’s not fair. So I prayed to God every night he would punish them. God didn’t answer, but he did.”

“His name.” Cas said. “Did he give you a name?”

“No.” Aaron admitted, shaking his head. “He just said I could have justice. But I’d have to take it for myself. He gave me the stick.”

“He just gave it to you?” You repeated what you heard, finding the kid’s story lacking some more detail. You looked at him with a little bit of suspicion as you smiled at him, pushing for answers that would make sense. “Come on. He didn’t just give it to you, did he, Aaron?”

“I bought it.” Aaron said.

“You bought it? Heh.” Sam couldn’t help himself but chuckle in utter amusement at what was going on here and the kind of answers Aaron was giving you. “With what? What’s your allowance?”

“What did the angel want for it?” You asked him, ignoring the younger Winchester’s remarks as you kept your focus on the kid in hopes that he could give you something useful. “What did you give him for it?”

Aaron grew silent for a moment. His gaze wandered away from you and to Cas, who held his most prized possession, the thing that you thought only demon’s liked. “My soul.”

Your face dropped in surprise at what you heard come out from his mouth. He was so young to be doing something so stupid. “You sold your soul to an angel?” You asked, but from the tone of your voice, you sounded like you were his mother, scolding him for what he confessed. You looked over at Cas, trying to figure out what was even going on here. “Can that even happen?”

“It’s never happened before.” The angel said. Well, there was a first time for everything. Cas looked down at the piece of wood that he was holding. “An angel’s buying souls. That could explain why he cut the staff into tiny pieces. More pieces, product.”

“More product?” You repeated the angel. “Who the hell does this guy think he is?”

“We’ll find him.” Cas said.

“Damn straight we are.” You muttered underneath your breath. You crossed your arms over your chest and inhaled a breath, getting ready to let out a sigh from the situation that was unfolding all around you. But you found yourself preoccupied with why Cas decided to knock Aaron out cold like how he did with his father. “Cas, what the hell did you do that for?”

“Portability.” The angel answered.

\+ + +

It took you a split second to stare at the faded floral wallpaper behind Cas to realize that you were back at the motel room, just like that. You blinked in surprise, still not exactly used to Cas back to his old self and his nifty abilities again, where you could pop into one part of the world, before coming back to another. You noticed that it wasn’t just the four of you, either. The angel had brought back Aaron, who remained unconscious from what was done to him, and tossed gently down to the bed for safekeeping. You looked at Cas with a slightly annoyed expression, wondering why he bailed so quickly out of the Birch household and came back here. Dean, however, was more worried about the pissed off father and scared child when they woke up. Not to mention, there was rules for snatching a kid out of his home without his parents knowing.

“Cas,” Dean spoke slowly, his eyes wandering away from Aaron and to the angel, wanting to make sure he knew what sort of consequences would follow for whatever plans he had in mind. “You realize you just kidnapped a kid?”

“If the angel we seek truly bought this boy’s soul—when a claim is laid on a living soul, it leaves a mark, a brand.” Cas explained his reasoning behind what he was doing. You nodded your head slowly and tried to understand, but you furrowed your brow in confusion.

“What, like a shirt tag at camp?” You wondered, trying to make sense of what he was say. It was Cas’ turn to stare at you with a blank expression from your example.

“I have no idea.” Cas admitted. Your natural reaction was to roll your eyes from how naive he could still be with human references. However, one thing that he was good at was dealing with all this angel business you stumbled upon. “But I can read the mark, and find the name of the angel that bought the soul.”

“How?” You wondered.

“Well, painfully, for him.” The angel said. You watched as he began to start rolling up the sleeve of his jacket. And just like that, when you realized what he was about to do, you suddenly were against what he was about to do. “The reading will be excruciating.”

“Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa. Hold on. He’s a kid, Cas. I can’t be the only one who thinks this is a bad idea.” Dean jumped first to protesting this idea as he stepped forward, stopping the angel from doing anything that might harm the child. You looked over at the older Winchester with the same look on your face as he did. You didn’t like what Cas was proposing. Dean looked over at his little brother, thinking that he was about to ramble on about how there had to be another way. But he stood there with his arms crossed over his chest, looking all too calm and casual. “Sam.” 

Sam remained silent, not budging when Dean wondered what the hell was going on. Normally it was his little brother who would have been in this position. You knew well enough the man had been different over the past year. He looked like the same Sam Winchester that had died. He smiled, laughed, and did everything else without a problem. But if you looked long enough into his eyes, put him a situation that would make someone feel any kind of emotion, he went blank. Any answer that he gave was for the greater good, what would benefit him. Hurting the kid meant that he could get the answers to who this angel was, solve this hunt and move onto another one. You wondered if he even cared at all…if he felt anything.

“Any permanent damage?” Sam asked, as if that’s what you wanted him to say. The younger Winchester caught himself acting a bit funny, he could always tell from the look you gave him when he caught you staring at him. He thought that’s what his old, caring, self would ask. Dean looked at his little brother with a bewildered expression from what was going on here.

“Psychically, minimal.” Cas said.

“Oh, well. Yeah.” You mocked the casual attitude that was being shown from Cas and Sam, two people who wouldn’t have dared thought of doing this a year ago. At least, without some guilt to follow after. “Then by all means, if you two think this is such just a great idea, stick your arm right in there.”

“Y/N, if I get the name I can work a ritual to track the angel down.” The angel explained to you, as if you didn’t know that already. 

“Dean and I are all for that, but come on.” You argued with him. “There’s got to be another way.”

“There is no other way.” Cas said just seconds later.

Your expression began to failure when you realized you couldn’t change his mind on what he was about to do. No matter what you tried to say to the angel, he was stuck in his own head that this was the right thing that had to be. Suddenly you looked at him like his old self, the one you had first met just a few years ago—the one who would do anything for Heaven without question—was standing right next to you. Because it sure felt like it.

“You’re gonna torture a kid, Cas.” You mumbled to him, letting that be your last attempt.

“I can’t care about that, Y/N.” Cas suddenly snapped at you. Your face scrunched in anger from his tone he used on you alone, but it soon turned into how he was going to harm a child. If only you knew that it pained him to do this. But it had to be done. There was more at stake here than you or Dean would ever realize. “I don’t have the luxury.”

You let out a quiet sigh and looked away, letting him be. Cas rolled up his sleeve to his elbow and loomed over the child for a moment. He inhaled a deep breath before forcing himself to do the task. You turned around and crossed your arms tightly over your chest, Dean automatically put one foot in front and tried to stop anymore of this from happening when Aaron began to scream on the top of his lungs from the pain that was being inflicted on him without choice. But Sam yanked him back, stopping him from doing something that might make things worse.

You flinched at how long the screams seemed to have went on for. It felt like forever to you, but after a minute, Aaron fell silent, making you look over your shoulder to see that Cas was done from poking around at the boy’s soul. He pulled down his sleeve, appearing not to feel guilty for what he’d done. Your eyes wandered down to the boy, to see that he appeared to be peacefully sleeping, unaware of what had been done to him.

“He’ll rest now.” Cas said.

“Did you get a name?” You asked not a second later, hoping all of this wasn’t a waste. “What is it?”

“I thought he died in the war.” Cas didn’t give you much more information than that. He walked across the motel room, you raised your brow, asking him if he happened to have been a friend from the look that settled across his face. “A good friend.”

“Well, congratulations. He’s alive and well. I mean, nobody really stays dead long anyway.” You said. The four of you were exceptions to the rules of the natural order. But it seemed this friend of Cas’ decided that he didn’t want to be an angel anymore. “Looks like your frat buddy is now moonlighting as a crossroads demon.”

“Balthazar,” The angel muttered his friend’s name underneath his breath. “I wonder.”

“So we can find him now, right?” You asked, hoping to push things along again.

“Balthazar.” An unfamiliar male voice made your head quickly look to the front door of the motel room, wondering what the hell was going on. You furrowed your brow to see there was a man standing there, but when you caught sight of what he was holding, you knew right away that it was an angel. His lips stretched into a smirk at how easy he got a bit of information. "Thanks, Castiel, we’ll make good use of the name.”

You felt someone grip around your arm yank you backwards, making you stumble out of the way from the fight that broke out without warning. The angel had gotten exactly what he needed from eavesdropping on the conversation. He swung down the blade that he was holding, attempting to stab his fellow brother, but Cas was faster. He managed to block the attack, and the next few. But the angel wasn’t the least bit afraid, he happened to slip in a friendly hello from a fellow friend that you had met personally on one occasion—one that you had left in a ring of holy fire, the archangel who wouldn’t think twice of sending one of his goons and smiting all of you.

Cas pushed the angel away from what he heard across the room. His brother broke out into a grin as he let out a laugh, and he had every right to look arrogant when he managed to sneak the blade out of Cas’ hand, and held both of them in his hands, making him the more powerful opponent here. But Cas wasn’t going to be intimated by the fear tactic. The angel lunged forward, attempting to take his brother by surprise. Cas managed to grab his brother by the wrists and overpower him, letting the blades fall out of his grip and slide across the floor. You noticed right away that they laid at your feet. You thought for a second to grab one to defend yourself, but Cas had a different idea of how to solve this problem.

The angel shoved his brother again across the room, but towards the window this time. He ran forward, and without even a warning, you saw a blur of dark blue and tan, all before the sounds of glass breaking. You didn’t realize until it was too late that Cas went running to the window, and threw himself out with his brother tight in his grip. The action took everyone by surprise. You went bolting for the window, ignoring the broken glass and fragments of wood that crunched underneath the bottom of your shoes. Everything felt like it was moving in slow motion. You watched as the two men went free falling in the air, the drop to the ground was far. You winced and looked away when you watched Cas hit the windshield of the car, seconds later, the alarm went off from what happened.

The boys went rushing to the window just a few moments later after hearing the alarm go off. You opened up your eyes to see that the angel had disappeared, but Cas seemed good as new when he slipped off the car, having no damage what so ever. You let out a sigh in frustration from what the hell just unfolded. And not to mention, the car you’d actually grown to liking, had been crushed, thanks to some pesky angels.

“My car.” Sam mumbled, looking devastated at seeing his most prized possession destroyed.

“Okay.” Dean couldn’t help himself but rub just the slightest amount of salt in his little brother’s wound. A little smirk stretched across his lips. “Silver lining.”

“He’s gone.”

You quickly looked behind you to see that Cas was now standing in the middle of the room, not a single scratch on his body, as if what had unfolded never happened. “All right, Cas,” You were nothing but baffled at what was happening left and right without answers. You followed behind him like his shadow when he walked over to the small kitchen area, opening cupboards to find something, whatever the hell it was. “Who the hell was that guy?”

“A soldier of Raphael.” Cas answered, shutting one cabinet door and going for another when his search came up empty. “He must have followed me when I answered Dean’s call.”

“Raphael?” Sam repeated what he heard. “The archangel?”

"Last time I remember, we left him in a ring of holy fire. I’m sure he didn’t send one of his goons to simply say ‘hello.’” You said, your voice growing harder when you watched him take a bowl out of the cabinet before going back on the move again. “Sorry for asking, but what the hell is going on here?”

“I can explain later, Y/N.” Cas said when he set the bowl down to the table and made his way over to the other side of the motel. “Right now, we have to—”

“No, not later, now.” You stepped right in his path and placed your hand out, stopping him Cas in his tracks so he could give you some proper information. He let out a sigh. “You can’t just take control like this, Cas. Just…stop, all right? There’s too many angels, Cas. I don’t know who’s first, what’s on second—”

“What’s on second?” Cas asked, repeating a phrase he wasn’t familiar with.

“Oh my God. Don’t start that. You’ve been on earth for how long?” You grumbled, rolling your eyes from his behavior that was starting to grow more irritating with each passing second. “Is it gonna really hurt to give us just a bit of freaking information?”

“It is simple, Raphael and his followers…they want him to rule heaven. I, and many others, the last thing we want is to let him take over.” Cas explained to the three of you, finally giving you a bit of insight to what had been going on upstairs. It seemed things weren’t as peaceful and full of orderly from the last time the angel had been there. “It’d be catastrophic.”

You could only presume what he was trying to say, “You’re talking civil war.”

“Technically, yes. Which is why we have to find Balthazar and his weapons before Raphael does.” Cas said. You stepped out of the way when Cas made his way to the bed closest to the window, and grabbing Sam’s duffel bag full of different weapons and things the both of you used for hunts. He rifled through the belongings to find what he needed to conduct the ritual. “Whoever has the weapons wins the war.”

“Help yourself.” Sam muttered, not happy seeing the angel taking it upon himself to his property after he crushed his car. Not to mention, the motel room window.

“What happens if Raphael wins?” You asked. “I mean, what does the bastard want?”

“To end the story the way it was written.” Cas said. He snatched a silver flask and lightly shook it, hearing the contents of the holy water splash around in its confinements.

“Let me guess. The apocalypse, the one we derailed?” You wondered if this was going in the same direction of the exact same situation you had tried stopping. The one that sent you straight to the cage, where Michael and Lucifer remained. You had a feeling the angels didn’t need their mascots to complete the job if they had some of daddy’s special toys. You threw your hands up in the air in frustration. “You guys will never get over this, will you?”

“Raphael wants to put it back on the rails. So it appears that he will not be, Y/N.” Cas’ naivety was peeking out again. You gave him a look to shut up. The angel stood there for a moment, trying to make sure that he had everything that he might need. You glanced over at the boys, all of you were confused, wondering why heaven wouldn’t leave the apocalypse business alone once and for all. You tried asking Cas a simple question. Why? But he was caught up in himself, suddenly realizing something. “I need myrrh.”

“Myrrh?” Sam mumbled underneath his breath.

When you blinked, Cas was gone, just like that. You and the boys were left a bit startled from how easy your friend could pop back and forth without breaking a sweat. Dean grumbled something underneath his breath, finding this new side of Cas the least bit helpful. There was too many angels, too many questions that were left unanswered. Not to mention, hearing about the apocalypse, the thorn in your side for months, made you feel unsettled. Nervous for whatever kind of tricks Raphael might pull to get this plan back started up again.

The sound of the bowl Cas had took out from the cabinet banged against the table, making you look behind you to see that the angel was back from his trip to grab myrrh. He cleared off the table so he could take a piece of chalk he’d gotten from somewhere to draw a circle out on the table, all before adding a few other symbols that appeared to look ever so slightly familiar.

“Why does Raphael wanna bring back all this crap?” Dean questioned the angel, wanting some answers.

Cas added a few more details to the circle before saying, “He’s a traditionalist.”

“Even for someone like you, this is a lot of stuff you’ve been hauling around for the past year. It’s something that affects us, too. I mean, Sam and I did die to stop all of this from even being a possibility of happening again.” You said, stepping forward to the table. “Why did you tell us, Cas? We could have helped sooner.”

“I was ashamed.” Cas admitted. His gaze fell to the table, as if he couldn’t look in you or the boys straight in the eye, the guilt of what he’d done was too overbearing. “I expected more from my brothers. I’m sorry.”

“Out of anyone in this world, we know about dysfunctional families. Trust me.“ You tried to make the angel feel better as you stretched out your arm to place it on his shoulder in a comforting manner. "I just wish that—Hey! What the hell are you doing?”

“I need your blood.” Cas simply explained. He dragged you over to the table and held your hand over the bowl, getting ready to slice your palm open to draw some blood to continue on with the spell. However, before the knife could cut you, the angel froze in his spot, feeling something strange coming from you. He furrowed his brow as he looked at you with a perplexed expression, making you feel suddenly self-conscious that something was wrong. But he didn’t say. He pushed you away in favor for Dean, who asked why he didn’t use his own. “Wouldn’t work, I’m not human.”

Cas managed to squeeze out a decent amount of blood before releasing the older Winchester and added a few more ingredients of holy water and rocks to the mixture before starting a chant that sounded like enochian. You watched as a sizzle of smoke began to slowly rise from the bowl. But your attention was pulled away from the ritual when you heard the sounds of sirens coming from a few blocks away. It seemed somebody noticed two guys falling out a fifth story window and decided it might have been a good idea to call the cops. 

“Uh, Cas,” Sam spoke up, hearing the commotion growing louder outside that was starting to make him grow concerned at what might happen if you stayed around here for too long. “How long does this spell take?”

Cas didn’t say anything. He concentrated down at the bowl for a handful of seconds more, until he got the exact location that he needed. “Got him,” The angel declared. “Let’s go.” 

“Whoa, whoa, wait,” Dean stopped the angel before any of you could vanish. He pointed a finger over his shoulder to the child that was still unconscious on the bed. “What about him?”

“Don’t you think the police will take him home?” Cas asked.

It seemed the angel had already thought of his plan thoroughly to the final detail. But you had a feeling from the look on his face that he didn’t really care what happened to Aaron Birch. Or if that’s what he was trying to tell himself to keep his mind focused on the bigger focus here.

\+ + +

Angels typically came only in one attitude style; obnoxious, rude, and downright dicks who think they knew everything. None of them had been kind to you. There had been a few exceptions to the rule. Anna could have been one of them. A fallen angel who wanted to be human and rebel against her own kind. Your feelings for her dramatically changed when she decided to go back in time and kill your parents to keep the apocalypse from happening. However, before she could do such a thing, Michael, the archangel, had burned her to a crisp. Funny enough, the only angel, besides Cas, who had been any sort of helpful to you was Gabriel.

He was once known as a trickster to you. The one who thought it’d be funny to make you and Dean dying every other day to putting you into TV hell to make all of you “play your role.” However, he changed his tune when things got serious. H e’d given you a way to put Lucifer back in the cage. And, for an added bonus, he gave a helpful hint to putting you back to normal. You always thought he was a cheeky son of a bitch. But it seemed that Gabriel wasn’t the only angel who had a taste for the finer things in life.

“Huh.” Dean seemed rather taken back himself to see the four of you standing on the lawn of a rather impressive looking mansion that had everything from the manicured grass to a large enough pool to throw a fun party. “I was expecting more Dr. No, less Liberace.”

“He’s got style,” You said. “I’ll give him that much.”

You wanted to meet this famous Balthazar in person. It started at first of getting a bit of payback for what he did to Aaron, a kid who didn’t know any better. Now it was partly turning into a bit of curiosity to see this angel up close and personal. Mostly all the angels you had been in person were clueless pricks with a stick shoved up their ass. Balthazar seemed different from where he decided to hide away. And there wasn’t a chance you were going to let Cas out of your sight. He might have been back to normal, but if Raphael’s little goons were running around, you weren’t going to take a chance on letting anyone staying here alone. The boys kept an eye out for each other while you teamed up with Cas. All of you were armed for whatever might happen.

You and Cas wandered into the mansion to see where you might find out where his fellow friend had been hiding. You noticed the place was set up pretty fancy, objects that looked to be worth more than your house alone were displayed all around the bottom floor of the mansion. You walked around more with Cas, the both of you hearing distant sounds of music playing around the place, but not sure where it was coming from. Or noticing any sign of a living soul around the place. Well…that was human, at least.

A look of confusion crossed your face when you heard what you thought sounded like a toad croaking. You thought it was some kind of trick. But, no. There was a toad sitting on top of the staircase, staring down at you and Cas. You couldn’t help yourself but smile in amusement as you nudged Cas lightly in the side to make a joke about how he should kiss it to see if the toad would turn into a chick for him. The angel didn’t find it the least bit funny. He gave you a blank expression before grabbing a hold of your arm, teleporting you from the ground to the second floor. Just like that.

The music had gotten louder from where you were standing. You didn’t wait for Cas to catch up when you spotted a pair of double doors just down the hall, the angel followed soon after when he couldn’t come up for a reason why the toad would be there. You placed your hands on the handles and pushed them open to reveal a sight in which made you let out a quiet chuckle.

The mansion wasn’t without a decent size looking ballroom that one could throw for parties and have some playing the grand baby piano that sat across the room. As you stepped inside, you noticed the room was dimly lit, only to show off the strobe lights of neon colors to be seen better to make this party vibe even stronger. You looked over your shoulder to see that Cas had joined you in the room, his eyes wandered around the place, trying to see if he could find Balthazar, or if this was some kind of trap. You were feeling a bit of mix feelings when the double doors shut behind you, and locking. That was a noise that always made you feel warm and welcomed. Your grip around the blade tightened, not sure who was running the show here.

“Cas. You’re here.” You heard a male voice come from across the room, making you look away from the doors and to an unfamiliar man with a glass in his hand, and a friendly smile to greet the both of you. The angel next to you confirmed you suspicions when he spoke his name. The famous Balthazar that had been stirring up some trouble. “It’s so good to see you. He told me you were floating around with a couple of humans. Didn’t mention one of them was a pretty, young thing.”

"I’m flattered, really.” You said, trying to resist the urge to roll your eyes as your lips stretched into a mocking smile. You might have been human, but you proved that you didn’t come here on very friendly terms when you pointed the blade in his direction, having a few questions for the angel that needed some answers. “Who’s this he that you’re talking about?”

“I believe you two have flown together.” Balthazar said, speaking to his fellow brother. You furrowed your brow when he began to let out chuckle. The lights suddenly came on as the music stopped, showing the angel that Cas had thrown out the window was lying on the floor. But it seemed he wasn’t alone in his vessel. You grimaced when you watched as a lump in his throat appeared, all before his mouth opened up, and out crawled a toad. Exactly like the one you’d seen just a few minutes ago. “Well, you know, the old frog in the throat.”

“Even I know that’s a bad joke.” Cas said, not finding the little act amusing as his brother. You watched as the toad disappeared from sight, leaving the three of you alone to talk in private. “I grieved your death, Balthazar.”

“Yeah, yeah, I’m sorry about that, you know.” The angel apologized. But from how casual his tone was, it seemed that he wasn’t all that concerned for the trouble he’d been causing. “I wanted them to think, you know, so they wouldn’t come looking for me.”

“You know, I’m still learning how this whole angel business works. I thought you guys only cared about getting this whole apocalypse business on track. Or at least trying to stop it. Even for me, this is a little…over the top.” You said, looking at the dead body and back at the angel in front of you. “What the hell are you doing?”

“Whatever I want. This morning I had a menage a—what’s french for twelve?”

You and Cas exchanged a look, both of you appeared a bit uncomfortable at the thought of how the angel had spent his time. But you weren’t here to discuss his activities he’d been doing to keep himself busy.

“You stole the staff of Moses.” Cas said, his fellow brother didn’t deny that.

“Sure, sure. I stole a lot of things. And I’m sure with some time,” Balthazar was a complete opposite from the other angels who you were used to meeting for the first time. Your brow arched when he walked over to you, and with a sly move, lightly grabbed a hold of your hand and moved it up so he could press his lips against the back of your hand. “Your heart could be the very next thing.”

“You didn’t tell me he was such a charmer, Cas.” You said, looking over at the angel with a smirk before back to the one in front of you.

“And I don’t believe you told me this lovely woman’s name, brother.” Balthazar added. You told him your name, and with a bit of surprise, it seemed that he was taken a bit back to see the the infamous creation done by Lucifer himself. He squinted his eyes slightly, as if he was taking a moment to inspect more than just your facial features. “You’re the Y/N Y/L/N? I’d thought you’d be more…I don’t know, demon.”

“That is not of important right now, Balthazar. This isn’t you. You were a great and honorable soldier. We fought together.” Cas brought the conversation back to the reason why he was here in the first place. Balthazar stepped away from you and walked a few feet until he back turned to the both of you. He seemed the old times were in the past, he’d dealt with the problems of heaven too many times to count. “I know you. You’re not some common thief.”

“Common? No.” Balthazar turned around to correct his brother. “Thief? Eh.”

“I need your help.” Cas said.

“I know, I’ve been hearing all about you And as far as I’m concerned, you and me, Cas, nothing’s changed. We’re brothers.” Balthazar reassured his siblings. “Of course I wanna help you.”

“Thank you.” Cas whispered. But he suddenly grew silent. You looked over at the angel and gave him a confused expression, wondering why he suddenly clammed up. Ever so slowly, he asked for a favor that he knew wouldn’t come without a fight “I need the weapons.”

Unsurprisingly, Balthazar snapped at his brother. “Don’t ask for that.”

“Why take them?” You asked him. “Why run away?

“Because I could.” Balthazar simply explained to the both of you. You could have started the apocalypse and killed half the planet, but you didn’t. Because it was the right thing to do. The angel looked at you a bit funny, seeming to sense the glare you were giving him. “What? Cas, you’re the one who made it possible. The footsteps I’m following, they’re yours. What you did, stopping the big plan, the prize fight. You did more than rebel. You tore the whole script and burned the pages for all of us. It’s a new era. No rules. No destiny. Just utter and complete freedom.”

“And this is what you do with it?” You asked the angel. “Bribing innocent children’s and having ménage a duex with chicks?”

“That’s the word!” Balthazar snapped his fingers and pointed one at you, his lips stretching into a smile at hearing the word that was bugging him. You didn’t smile when he began chuckling. You and his brother stared at him with a disapproving glare as the angel walked back over to the piano. “Hey, screw it, right? I mean, dad’s not coming back. Luci’s locked away for good. You might as well blow coke and jump on the bed. Or…whatever you do, love. Castiel, you proved to me we could do anything, so I’m trying everything. What difference does it make?”

“Of course it makes a difference. It’s—It’s civil war up there.” Cas found himself overwhelmed with anger when his brother wasn’t acting like how he’d hope. He stopped for a moment to get himself under control before speaking again. “If we can beat Raphael, we can end this. Just give me the weapons.”

Balthazar laughed at his brother’s command. “Do you know what’s funny about you? You actually believe that you can stop the fighting. It will never stop. My advice, grab something valuable and fake your own death.”

“Hate to break up the party, sweetcheeks, but your little holiday is over.” You said, watching as the angel took a sip of his drink before setting it down on the piano to safekeeping. “Raphael knows you’re alive. And I’m pretty sure he’s looking for you.”

“Oh, Raphael can try me anytime. I’m armed. I’m sorry, Cas. All else aside, I’m really, really happy to see you. Even though you still have that stick up your ass. And Y/N, it was a pleasure to have met you.“ Balthazar said. You gave him a small smile, but your expression dropped when you heard something that sounded awfully familiar like thunder, taking all of you by surprise. "Was that you by chance, love?”

“Yeah. I just casually go around causing thunderstorm.” You said. “What do I look like to you, Mother Nature?”

“Oh, that’s my cue, then.” Balthazar mumbled, knowing there was only one person who else would do such a thing. You let out a frustrated sigh, knowing well enough the angel was all talk and no show for when the enemy came knocking on his door. “Tell Raphael to bite me.”

With the snap of his fingers, Balthazar disappeared from your sight. You had a feeling the angel was right about getting far away from here as possible. Not only did you have an archangel who wanted to start up the apocalypse again, you had a feeling he was still holding a grudge against what you and Cas did to him all that time ago. And time can leave a lot for someone to think of creative ways of how to get revenge on the enemy.

\+ + +

You wondered why things couldn’t work out in your favor just once. You weren’t asking for much. Just for the natural order of the universe to smooth itself out. For Heaven and Hell to get their crap together. For God to come out wherever he’d been hiding to stop his children from fighting. You saved the world once before from ending, you’d be damned for Raphael to undo all your hard work. But you weren’t mighty and powerful like you were before. You’d spent the last year hunting monsters like werewolves and wendigos. You were a hunter now, not a demon who had a safety net underneath your feet to keep yourself from getting killed. You were disposable.

You looked over your shoulder when you heard another roll of thunder after the room lit up from a strike of lightening, giving you a better sight to what was going on around you before it fell back into darkness. Maybe it wasn’t your time to call the shots, but you had a feeling that it was best to grab the brothers and get the hell out of here before it was too late. Balthazar wasn’t going to do the right thing by handing over God’s weapons to Cas. You didn’t want your heart ripped out of your chest from an archangel you left in a ring of holy fire all that time ago. If you knew anything about angels, they held grudges. They wouldn’t stop until they got exactly what they wanted—destroying whatever got in their way. And the four of you stood in his way of doing that for Raphael.

You were about to suggest the idea to Cas that it’d be better to get the hell out of here while you still had the chance. But the words died at the tip of your tongue when you looked straight ahead at the dead body on the floor to see that one of his fellow brothers had popped in. You tightened your grip around the blade and let out a frustrated sigh from how tonight was going not so much in your favor.

“You’re making a mistake. Please, there is another way.” Cas spoke up as he put his hand up in a way to show that he wanted to do no harm. But from the look in his fellow brother’s eyes as he stepped over the body, you had a feeling you were past the point of talking. “Brother, please, I don’t wanna hurt you.”

“But I’ll gladly do it.” You made the first move before either you or Cas could get hurt. You flipped around the blade and threw it across the room, managing to lodge the weapon exactly into the angel’s chest. You heard a scream erupted from his throat with a sudden bright light escaped from his body, making you shield your eyes, taken back from the harshness. You slowly lowered your hand back down to your side when you heard his body thump to the ground. All though you were quite impressed with your first official angel kill, when you looked over at Cas, he stood there with a hardened look on his face. Like he was upset with what’d you done. “What? I had to do something.”

He looked away from you as his lips stretched into a frown. He understood that it was the four of you against Raphael and his followers. That wasn’t what made him upset. It was the blatant lost of control, order that had kept his siblings in line since the beginning of time. But there only had been order when there was a Father to discipline them. These were Godless times they were now facing. There was no such thing as order anymore. Just pure, raw chaos for power. For violence against those who didn’t agree for their cause. Cas had been trying to keep things from escalating to this point. But it seemed he didn’t have the choice of playing nice anymore.

“Why won’t any of them listen?” Cas asked himself quietly underneath his breath.

“Because your siblings are all dicks.” You muttered to him, but your response when unnoticed to the angel when he was caught up in his own personal thoughts.

You scoffed quietly underneath your breath from what you insisted on dragging yourself into as you walked across the room to grab the only weapon you had to defend yourself with. The room illuminated once again from the storm brewing outside. Another rumble of thunder followed soon after. You went down to grab the blade from the now deceased angel’s chest, knowing you had very limited time until Raphael showed up. But you didn’t think he would make a personal invite so soon without sending another one of his brothers up to finish the job. Of course. If you wanted something done right, you had to do it yourself.

“They don’t listen, Castiel, because their hearts are mine.”

You quickly looked over your shoulder to see that none other than Raphael himself standing right besides Cas. You didn’t waste a second in warning him as you tried to grab the blade and somehow take the angel before he could any sort of harm. But you were slower to the draw than he was. Before your fingers could brush against the handle, you felt yourself being thrown backwards and across the room, landing straight onto the hard surface of the floor. And colliding head first with one of the legs of the baby grand piano. You hit your head hard enough to stun you for a few moments, taken back from the pain that started to settle in your head and the rest of your body just seconds after.

Raphael had took it upon himself to start with the biggest thorn in his side, Cas. The archangel threw his fellow brother out the double doors and worked his way to throwing him down the stairs, presuming you weren’t going to be much of a trouble for now. But he should have known not to underestimate someone like you. Raphael wasn’t the first archangel you had the pleasure of meeting. And you’d be damned to let him start something you had died for to begin again.

You steadied a hand on the piano and forced yourself to your feet, wincing slightly when you brushed your fingers against the abrasion on your forehead. It wasn’t the worst wound you ever gotten, you would survive. You managed to grab ahold of the blade again and exited the double doors, running down the staircase and to the bottom floor where you saw Cas. But when you got down, you noticed that you were too late. And stumbled upon to a rather strange sight.

“Well,” You furrowed your brow in surprise to see that none other than Balthazar was standing across the room. And where Raphael had been was now replaced with an enormous amount of salt and his suit that he was once wearing. “Guess I’m late to the party. What happened here?”

“Quite a marvelous trick you missed out on, Y/N. Same thing happened to Lot’s wife. Idolize the poor sucker and your kitchen is stocked for life.” Balthazar chuckled to himself, seeming to find all of this amusing. You looked over at Cas, who was taken back himself to see that his fellow brother had come back. You doubt it was out of the kindness of Balthazar’s heart. He figured this way, the archangel would be out of his hair for a while. "Well, now Raphael will have to go shopping for a new vessel. Should give me a nice long head start on him. Until next time.”

“Next time? Don’t leave so soon.” You said, your lips stretching into a smirk from the trick you were about to pull on him. “The fun’s just getting started.”

You looked away from Balthazar when you heard the flick of the lighter come from the one Dean was holding. Without a warning, the older Winchester dropped it to the ground, setting the trap the boys had set, going for the second plan if things had failed. Balthazar was trapped with nowhere to go. You crossed your arms over your chest from the successful move all of you had managed to pull. But the angel didn’t seem all that amused from what was going on.

“Holy fire. You hairless ape.” Balthazar hissed at the older Winchester. "Release me.”

“You didn’t say ‘Mother May I’? Manners are everything. Especially for narcissistic, self-entitled angels as yourself.” You said, not falling for whatever sort of threat he would try and say to make you change your mind. “First you start with taking your marker off Aaron Birch’s soul.”

Balthazar’s eyes narrowed on you from your command, “Am I?”

“Oh, Sammy.” You called out the younger Winchester’s name, knowing you had the imagination and all the right tools to make the angel do whatever you wanted.

“Unless you like your wings extra-crispy,” Sam came out from the room he’d been hiding in to bring out the clay pitcher that held the holy water that you would need. “I’d think about it.”

Balthazar wouldn’t be intimidated by you and the Winchester, three hunters who was about to try to go up against someone powerful as himself. He looked to his fellow brother, hopeful that he might do something to change your minds. “Castiel, I stood for you in Heaven. Are you gonna let one of them—”

Castiel cut off his brother, knowing exactly where he stood on the grounds of this. “I believe the hairless ape has the floor.”

“Very well.” Balthazar agreed to the new terms of this plan, finding his own pleasure in seeing how you reacted to the offensive terminology used against yourself. You’d been called a lot of things before in the past, but that was a new one for you. You watched as the angel shut his eyes for a moment and quietly whispered something underneath his breath. “The boy’s debt is cleared. His soul is his own.”

“Why are you buying up human souls, anyway?” Dean asked, curious to how something like that could be useful for an angel like Balthazar.

“In this economy? It’s probably the only thing worth buying. Do you have any idea what souls are worth? What power they hold?” Balthazar’s set of questions made you feel uneasy. You looked away from the angel and to Dean, who seemed to share your same mindset about what could have been so wonderful about something precious as souls. But you wouldn’t get any sort of answers as to what sort of ability they had in the wrong hands. “Now, release me.” 

“Suck it, ass clown, nobody said anything—” Dean wasn’t ready to let the party end just yet. But it seemed your fellow friend had other feelings about that. You watched as the flames slowly began to dwindle until they were gone. You quickly looked over to see that Cas was the one responsible for extinguishing them. “Cas, what the hell?”

“My debt to you is cleared.” Cas told his fellow brother, you scoffed at what was unfolding.

“Fair enough. “Balthazar agreed.

And just like that, Balthazar disappeared from your sight. You let out a sigh of frustration as you looked over at Cas, wondering why he would do such a thing. But before you could term him a new one, the angel vanished from your sight. You could feel your fists clenching in anger at what just happened. After spending over a year trying to get ahold of him, Cas would only stick around for how it pleased him. Something in him changed. And it sure wasn’t for the better.

\+ + +

On the downside of things, the car you and Sam had for the past year was crushed due to a couple of angels fighting. (Which Cas had rudely didn’t not apologize for.) But on the brightside of things, the gang was back together again like old times. You were sort of excited to see Baby in all of her glory again. A smile wouldn’t leave your lips as you carried your heavy duffel bag to the open trunk, where Dean shuffled around a few of his own set of weapons, trying to make room again for the both of you. You let out a frustrated sigh as you dropped the bag to the ground, your arms beginning to grow sore from the heavy bag you had been holding for the past few minutes as the man reorganized his stockpile of weapons that had grown since the last time the three of you were hunting together.

“Gosh,” Dean grabbed a shotgun and tossed it to another compartment for safekeeping as he spent another few moments organizing things. “I didn’t realize I had this much stuff back here.”

“Well, we need some space.” Sam said, dropping his own duffel bag down when his brother put down the secret compartment where all of his supplies were. “Kind of picked up some stuff along the way.”

You finally managed to toss your bag into the trunk, letting out a sigh of relief at the mundane task. You looked to see there was a few lingering objects hidden in the way back of the trunk that didn’t belong to the three of you. You bent over and grabbed what appeared to be a mask from the back to inspect it. You furrowed your brow at the rather frightening sight and nodded your head at Dean, wondering what the hell you were holding.

“Oh, that’s Ben’s Halloween costume.” Dean said.

“Huh.” You placed the mask against your face and pretended to scare the boys, having a clue of what it might have been. Through the eye holes you saw Sam roll his eyes as Dean let out a quiet chuckle from how ridiculous you looked. “Wendigo? Creepy and accurate.”

You tossed the mask back into the back for safekeeping so Dean could shut the trunk and all of you could get back on the road. You were more than happy to claim your old spot in the back as Sam headed for the passenger’s side. All of this was second nature to the both of you. Dean took his spot rightfully next to the driver’s side door, but before he could slip in, there was something on his mind. It’d been bothering him for a while now. But after the last hunt, the worry was growing to the point where he couldn’t deny it anymore.

“Hey, so, uh…are you okay?” Dean asked what sounded to be a simple question to his little brother. You leaned against the car as you looked over at the younger Winchester. Sam didn’t think twice about answering with a happy grin, saying that he felt great. On the outside it seemed that he was okay. Sam hadn’t shown any sort of signs of being off balanced. But that was when he was going through everyday life. When he was hunting, sometimes it told a very different story. “Really? Because there’s been a few times you got me wondering.”

Sam looked at his brother with a confused expression, “Come again?”

“Well, like where were you when Cas was giving the holy-taser treatment to that kid?” Dean asked a simple question. He could have gone to you and share his concern. You had been hunting with the man for over the past year, out of anyone, you knew Sam better than you knew yourself sometimes. But Dean wanted to confide in his brother first. The younger Winchester, yet again, didn’t show any sort of concern for his strange behavior. He thought everything was fine. “Really? Because, honestly, I felt like it was just Y/N and I raising a card.”

“Right. I mean, I was with you.” Sam backtracked as he tried to explain his reasoning. You narrowed your eyes slightly at the man, knowing you’d been seeing the same exact sort of behavior from him. The old Sam would have been there right with you to stop it from happening. Maybe it was Hell that made him harder around the edges. Maybe he didn’t care. “But, I don’t know, we needed the intel.”

“Yeah, I know, but we tortured that kid to get it.” Dean said, setting up some bait for his brother to take and feel guilty. He waited for some sort of puppy dog expression that he was almost starting to miss. Sam let out a quiet sigh, as if he wasn’t sure what to say to make this situation better. “I just didn’t get the feeling that you even cared.”

“You’re wrong.” Sam said, shaking his head at the accusation.

“I mean, I’m just trying to figure this out, because something’s different about you. You know that.” Dean said. His brother nodded his head, not denying that part about him. You eyed both of the boys slowly, watching as this scene unfolded in front of you before your gaze settled upon Sam to see what else he had to say.

“Yeah, yeah, I know.” Sam agreed with his brother. Dean looked at the man standing at the other side of the car, not believing a single word that was coming out his mouth. Sam decided to put the truth out there in a way that the older Winchester could understand. “I’ve been hunting nonstop for the past year with Y/N. Kind of out in the wild, you know? So, yeah, I suppose I’m a little rough around the edges.”

“Yeah, I get that. But I just don’t think I’m getting the whole scoop.” Dean said. He watched as you and his brother grew silent. You looked away from the older Winchester to stare at something in the far distant, Sam sat himself down on the hood of the Impala. “You went to hell, Sam. And, Y/N, the second time around isn’t always easy. Believe me, I know what that does to a person.”

“To you. You know what it does to you. It tortured you, you know? I mean, can’t forget what you did to Y/N. Look at how that turned out for the both of you. I think that it still bothers you. And I’m sure you’re not happy with how we’re handling things.” Sam suddenly seemed to be a smart ass from the sly remark he managed to squeeze into the conversation, taking you and his brother by surprise. The younger Winchester went back to his normal self when he smiled again and let out a soft chuckle. “But, Dean, I’m okay.”

Dean didn’t know how to feel about what his brother said. It brought him back to when you and him were taken out of hell. The lying he did, the trust you put in him when you gave him something that almost ruined your relationship for good. For some reason, Dean took offense to what Sam had said. You’d been to hell twice, each time was with a different brother. The older Winchester cracked under pressure and did things that, yes, he regretted to this day. But down in the cage it was two against two. He had a feeling Lucifer and Michael wouldn’t have played nice with his little brother, who had dragged the both of them down to the cage.

“So, you’re saying, that you’re stronger than me?” Dean couldn’t help but wonder if that’s what the younger man was trying to get at without saying those exact words. “You and Y/N got some unhealthy relationship I should know about?”

“We’re best friends, Dean. Y/N and I have been through a lot these past few years. Things you’ll never understand.” Sam said, giving the truth and a little bit of a lie all wrapped up in one. "I’m just saying we’re different people. You and I.”

Dean should have felt better at hearing what his brother said. Sam had gone through something that might have been worse than a torture session with Alastair, the infamous demon who shaped sinister and homicidal personalities out of the foolish people who sold their souls. Dean got a free pass when he started torturing souls, starting with the person standing beside him. But he had a feeling what he witnessed for the first ten years was nothing to what you had seen. You and Sam had faced the Devil himself and his older brother. You stopped the apocalypse from happening, you mouthed off too many times to form grudges. There had to have been some sort of lasting impact on the personality.

But you didn’t show it. You didn’t show any sort of signs that things were as they were before you went to hell, or afterwards. It was like you were back to your old self. (The woman he fell in love with.) But things weren’t as they were before. The both of you had found salvation in other people. Dean had Lisa, you had Sam. He didn’t want to think that your relationship with his brother passed for anything more than best friends and hunting partners. Back when he first got out of hell, with his mind still fresh with the things that he did to you, he thought that he could keep the past buried and start a happy relationship with you. He’d been wrong before. And the man felt, with some time, he would be proven wrong once again.

\+ + +

Sam’s lack of empathy wasn’t the only thing in him that changed. Dean rested his head against the motel pillows as he rested his forearm against his closed eyes, hoping sleep would come after riding around for most of the day. The three of you were happy to have things back to the way things were. But if you were gonna continue on like nothing happened, you needed a case to find and some wifi to do that. It was decided that all of you would crash at a motel for a day or two to figure out a case and hit the road again. The usual routine for getting rooms was as the following: a double for the boys, you happily settled for a single by yourself for some privacy. But for some reason, Dean was sitting in a queen sized bed, overcome with paranoia that wouldn’t let his mind rest. Why did you and Sam want to share a room all of a sudden?

“I don’t know,” His brother shrugged at the question. “We’ve been doing it for the past year. It’s just for one night. And besides, I’m sure you want some privacy.”

Dean scoffed to himself at the reasoning. He still couldn’t shake off this feeling…like you and Sam were keeping something from him. But what was it? For long as he could remember, the both of you had been close. Sharing stupid nicknames constantly talking about nerdy stuff, and spending hours together doing research. It was innocent stuff like that. And that phone call. He couldn’t shake the noises out of his head. It kept replaying itself in his head like a broken record.

Dean spent almost two years with you. He knew what you sounded like in bed. It only made his wander to places that shouldn’t have gone.He wondered what might have caused such a big jump to lead to the point of no return.

Two people come out of hell, scared out of their minds. No family to confide in except for each other. Close quarters, a little too much alcohol after a rough hunt. You always had a caring side of you that Dean loved. You could smile and just like that, the world felt like a better place.

Dean finally forced himself to ask the question that had been lingering in his mind during this entire hunt. Were you and Sam…intimate with each other? So what if you were? What sort of business did he have to judge that? Dean had spent plenty of nights with Lisa, doing things that would make even the sex-crazed person blush. He didn’t expect you to be celibate, waiting for something that the both of you knew would never happen again. But you weren’t also the type of person who found comfort in strangers like he had for all those years.

The theory did pose a few problems if it were true. You’d only been intimate with Dean, no one else. And jumping into bed with Sam felt weird. Talk about keeping it in the family. Dean rolled his eyes from how dirty he felt thinking about how the saying turned into a whole other meaning. It was just his mind playing trick on him. Maybe he was a bit jealous. Maybe he still had a small thing for you that was buried deep inside. He didn’t know that yet. He blamed his wandering mind on how much time was left between hunting. And how he didn’t have his brother’s small habits to keep him occupied. Dean realized why he didn’t like being alone. Because he was forced to be with his own thoughts and create stupid scenarios that probably weren’t real.

Dean felt his body beginning to finally relax when he began to think about Lisa. How she was probably sleeping alone right now, thinking about him. His lips stretched into a small smile when he thought about her and Ben. He made a mental note to call them tomorrow morning to see how they were doing. But the thought only lasted a second before his ears picked up on the sounds of footsteps coming from outside in the hall. It was probably just one of the other guests that checked in. Dean heard a muffled voice, along with a familiar echo of a laugh. Dean felt his eyes open. Suddenly he couldn’t sleep anymore.

He slipped out of bed and headed for the shut door that was locked. Ever so quietly, he pushed the lock back until he clicked into place, twisted the handle, and cracked open the door so one of his eyes peeked out into the hall to see what was going on.

Dean noticed that his little brother was standing out in the hall with a smile on his face. One hand was holding a sick pack of beer, the other carried what appeared to be take out, your favorite kind. Sam said something about you opening the door. From where he was, he couldn’t hear all that much, or see anything for that matter. But he didn’t stop staring. A few seconds passed before light illuminated the hallway and the laugh could be heard again. It took Dean a few tries before he saw you step out into the hall, wearing what appeared to be a man’s shirt that was at least a few sizes too big, and nothing else.

There was nothing out of the ordinary about that. You liked to steal his shirts long before the two of you started dating. Dean cracked the door even slightly more, watching as you leaned against the door, a smirk spreading across your lips before your teeth sank down onto the bottom flesh. You opened your mouth as you reached out a hand to place it on Sam’s chest. Dean could feel his stomach twist into knots. It’s nothing. Without thinking about it, he stepped back, all before slamming the door shut and locking it.

You felt your hand drop to your side when you heard someone slam their door shut, taking you by surprise. You quickly looked around to see if it had come from the room just down the hall, but you couldn’t tell. You let out a breath and back to the man in front of you. The look in your face began to change slightly, it turned into an emotion that Sam hadn’t felt in a very long time—guilt. Things were different now that you were back on the road with Dean. Your unconventional relationship with his little brother had to come to an end.

“This has gotta be the last time.” You whispered to him, stepping back into the motel room as Sam followed behind and shut the door behind him before setting things down on the table to make his hands free. “Dean can’t ever know.”

“Of course. My lips are seal.” Sam promised you. He began walking forward to you, the same look in his eye that you had seen before began to slowly come creeping back. You tried to find any sort of sign that he was feeling guilty for what he’d been doing over the past year. But you couldn’t see anything in them. He slowly backed you into a corner before he placed each arm against the wall, trapping you for the last time. “It’ll be our little secret.”


	4. Live Free or Twihard.

There was nothing like a bunch of missing teenage girls to keep you and the Winchester brothers busy. It’d been a bit of a slow spell for all things evil and wicked since wrapping up your last hunt. It started off with three officers dropping dead of mysterious causes, only to uncover an angel, Balthazar, was selling parts of his Father’s toys to minors so a child could seek vengeance on his brother. It was also the last time you saw Cas in almost over a year. He left without saying goodbye. And you were just fine with that. If he wanted to spend time with his siblings and fight like a bunch of brats, so be it. You had a world full of monsters that needed to be hunted down and a half dozen missing girls to be found before the worst could happen.

You walked with Sam down the quiet town street with all the missing people flyers you had gotten from the local police station. You looked up away from the smiling face of the most recent teenager to see the Impala come into view and Dean sitting on the hood, finishing his call that he said was important. If you had to take a wild guess, from the smile on his face, he was probably talking to Lisa. Normally the mention of the woman’s name would make an ache slowly start to sit in your chest. But, after some time, you were starting to feel happy for Dean. He was getting everything he wanted. From the normal life to a supportive girlfriend, along with Ben, who he had viewed like a son. It was everything you could never give him. 

If anything good came out of Dean going to Lisa, you gotten your best friend back. You got to ride in Baby again with the older Winchester behind the wheel and his brother sitting in the passenger’s seat, you hogging up all of the backseat as your own. That’s what you’d been missing for the past year since coming back from the cage. Your real family and the Impala. What else did you need to be happy? Right now it was to hit the road and hunt some monsters. 

You shuffled all the papers together in a neat pile and approached Dean, a smile on your own stretched across your lips when he noticed that you and his brother were back. He quickly ended the call and shut the phone, you raised your brow in curiously to see what he was trying what was making his calm demeanor break from the smile that wanted to light up his face. 

“What are you so stoked about?” You teased the older Winchester as you gave him a wink from what you proposed. Dean pretended to be confused, mumbling something about how it was nothing. “You look like an unsupervised kid in a candy store. Got a hot date with Lisa? If so, Sam and I can take this. We’ll meet up afterwards.”

“No, no. We got a case. I wanna work.” Dean answered you a little too quickly, making you let out a chuckle. “What do you got?”

You handed over the pile of flyers to Dean’s awaiting hands so he could skim through the missing faces that all had the exact type of looks. Pretty, petite and young. “Six girls in seven days,” You explained the pattern that caught your attention as he examined everything with a close eye. “Which is more disappearances than this city has seen in over a year—all about the same age.”

“And cute.” Dean added. You scoffed and rolled your eyes, knowing he was going to say something like that. “Hey, ice cream comes in lots of flavors, sweetheart.”

“Yeah. And you’ve had about every single one on this planet. We’ve got half dozen girls who look almost exactly the same, late teens. Sounds like we got a pattern going here.” You suspected. “Sam and I couldn’t find anything they have in common. But I’m sure there is.”

“Well, six directions to go.” Dean said, going through the papers to find all of the girls had been picked in different spots. “Hey, Sammy. Pick a number between one and six.”

“How about number seven.” Sam suggested. “Another call came in today.”

Lucky number seven, you thought to yourself. You and the boys decided to start with the most recent missing girl to see if you could figure who was causing all these suspicious disappearances. And put a stop to it before someone else became a victim. 

\+ + +

You and the boys made it into town a few hours later and decided to first stop at the house of Kristen, the most recent girl to have vanished. Her father was the one who greeted and welcomed the three of you inside after flashing your fake badges and saying you were FBI. You could see his daughter’s disappearance was taking a personal toll on him from the lack of answers or leads the police could give him. She wasn’t the type to runaway. A good girl who just vanished into thin air, no explanation to ease her father’s anxiety-ridden mind. 

“Kristen’s a good kid. A little naive, sure…” He trailed off for a second when he tried painting a picture of his daughter for the three of you to understand. You gave him a warm smile when you noticed his gaze went to your direction. “You try to be a good parent. Girls are hard.”

“That, they are.” You agreed as you let out a quiet chuckle, showing him a bit of empathy for being a single dad. “We want to find your daughter much as you do. And in order to do that, would you mind if we took a look around her room? Just to get to know her a bit better. See if there’s something the police might not have thought of to look at.”

Kristen’s father fell silent for a moment. He looked over his shoulder and to the staircase that laid behind him. He let out a quiet sigh and turned his gaze back to the three of you to answer your request. “Last door on the left.”

You gave him another smile as you mumbled a thank you underneath your breath before you passed by him, following behind the brothers when they began making their way to the staircase after being granted permission. You made it halfway up before the three of you stopped, a little bit baffled at what Kristen’s father had said. 

“What do you think he was talking about?” Dean wondered, you shrugged your shoulders. Kids were different with every generation that came by. Who knows what they did to get in trouble these days. 

“Drugs?” Sam guessed. 

All of you exchanged a glance before heading up to the top of the staircase and down the hall to the last door on the left, like Kristen’s father said. Dean opened up the door and flicked on the light, half expecting to be blinded by shades of pink and all sorts of frilly things that teenage girls liked. But he stumbled upon a bedroom decor that made him feel taken aback. And even a little bit offended. 

You let out a whistle when you stumbled upon the holy grail of everything goth and supernatural a girl Kristian’s age would have. The walls were painted a blood red and covered in posters—not of the latest bands and Hollywood heartthrobs—but the cast of those God awful vampire and werewolves movies you kept seeing everywhere. The entire place was covered in gothic and what might appear in a creature of the night’s bedroom. You looked over to the bed to see there was the same black and crimson red color scheme. Along with a few throw pillows that were of the character’s faces. You expected to see a copy of Dracula or Anner Rice around, but there was nothing but the modern telling of vampires that sparkled in the sun and was a complete dick to the female protagonist you were supposed to root for. It was complete and utter trash. But you’d be lying if you said you had picked up a copy out of pure curiosity.

Your eyes wandered to a poster across the room that was pinned in place. A young woman was standing between two men, who looked like they were attempting to appear frightened, stood between two men that were attempting to be broody and mysterious. To you, they looked like a bunch of actors failing miserably at their job to portray a certain emotion. But they must have been raking in millions by targeting a demographic that was the most dedicated of all them all, teenage girls. And it seemed It seemed Kristen was a mighty big fan of “My Summer Blood.”

You looked away from the poster and to Dean, who looked horrified at what he was surrounded with and couldn’t look away. “Oh, it is so much worse.” The older Winchester muttered, knowing he’d stumbled upon something that made him uncomfortable. Sam let out a scoff, taking a guess that Kristen wasn’t addicted to drugs, but vampires. “No, these aren’t vampires, man. These…” You shut the door behind you to give the three of you some privacy. Only you were greeted by the sight of a cardboard cutout of a pretty boy vampire. “These are douchebags.”

Lately the biggest trends among the younger crowd was supernatural monsters. But they weren’t depicted in ways you remembered growing up where vampires were bloodsucking monsters and werewolves would rip your heart out. Nowadays they were being written as the love interest for pale, awkward girls and werewolves were your best friend that was secretly in love with you. You rolled your eyes from how very real and dangerous these creatures were. It’s crappy writing, but the kids loved it. And the author was sure ranking in the money. 

Sam looked around the room to find out where Kristen’s laptop would be hiding. He took a wild guess and headed for the unmade bed, throwing around her sheets to discover it was exactly where he suspected. You looked over your shoulder to see the girl’s laptop was red, big shocker, with stickers of bats and anything spooky. Sam headed for the desk and decided to see what he could discover about your missing girl. He hit the power on button, expecting to see the lock screen. The three of you were taken back from the female screams that came out of nowhere when Sam pulled up the home screen. Kristen’s background was of a vampire trying to make an intense face. You found yourself rolling your eyes in annoyance.

“That’s just,” Sam flinched at the face staring back at him. “Uncomfortable.”

“What’s he so bummed about?” Dean muttered.

Sam decided to get started sneaking around the laptop and decided to go for the internet. Right away he found himself locked out, the computer demanded a password. What would a teenage girl use as her password? You crossed your arms over your chest and tried to think of a few possible theories. Dean averted his gaze away from the screen when he noticed a paperback sitting at the edge of the desk. He took a quick glance without much thought, but when he saw “My Summer Blood”, he immediately picked up the copy to take a look at it for himself. The man scoffed at seeing a teenage girl sleeping peacefully in bed, not realizing there was a boy lurking in the corner of her bedroom, watching her in her most vulnerable state.

“Look at this.” Dean picked up the book off the bed and showed you, making you break your concentration away from the screen to see what was getting him so riled up. You looked up and saw his expression, causing you to let out a quiet laugh from how he was taking all of this in. "He’s watching her sleep. How is that not rapey?”

“I gotta concentrate, guys.” Sam said, hoping the both of you would stay quiet. Sam decided to see if Kristen was into the classic as he typed in Dracula. The computer rejected the try and let out a scream, making him think of another password.

“You can’t believe there’s a copy of ‘Dracula’ or '‘Salem’s Lot’ just lying around.“ You said, trying to be a little bit helpful to the younger Winchester. Sam looked up at you and gave you a look to keep quiet. "What? Try something a teenage girl would use.”

Dean decided to see what this was all about by cracking open the book where Kristen had marked it, she made it halfway through before stopping. He skimmed the pages before he stumbled upon the scene the girl had stopped at. He scoffed at what kind of garbage he was reading. “'He could hear the blood rushing inside her, almost tasting it. He tried desperately to control himself. Romero knew their love was impossible.’ Romero? Really?”

“Dean,” Sam looked over his shoulder from the lack of silence he was getting. “Shut up.”

"Come on, it’s not that bad.” You defended the author as you plucked the book out of Dean’s grip to skim the pages yourself before flipping through a few pages. “It’s a national bestseller for a reason.”

“Oh, God. Don’t tell me you read it.” Dean said. You shrugged your shoulders and held onto the book for safekeeping, curiosity making you steal the copy to read it in your freetime. “And here I thought you looked down at this kind of garbage.”

"Oh, please. I’ll read anything I can get my hands on. I may have read a few pages while I was killing some time in a bookstore. Wanted to see what all the hype was about.” You said. “Oh, Sammy. Try 'Lautner.’ That may work.”

Sam took your advice and typed in the password. Before he hit enter, he wondered how you had come up with the name off the top of your head. “Wait, he’s a werewolf.” Sam said. “How do you even know who that is?”

“Are you kidding me? That kid’s everywhere. It’s a freaking nightmare. And it’s gotta be him. Or the other one.” You mumbled. You looked over to see that Dean grabbed one of the pillows from the bed and grimaced at the sight of the familiar broody vampire staring back at him. A scream came from the laptop when it rejected your suggestion. “Try. Pattinson. That’s got to be it.”

Sam took your final suggestion and put it into the computer, expecting the laptop to give him that obnoxious scream again. Instead his hands jumped from the keyboard as a smile grew on the ends of his lips when he was finally granted access.

“That’s it. We’re in. Ha.” Sam clicked a few different links around what appeared to be a social media website and pulled up her inbox to see she had been active with a boy named Robert. You and Dean headed over to see what he found. “Well, her inbox is full from some guy claiming to be a vampire.”

“A real vampire?” You asked, all thought you doubt it was nothing more than a peophile trying to get creative in lurking out his victims.

“Well, ‘I can only meet you at night. I don’t trust myself with you. The call of your blood is too strong.’” Sam read off a few of the messages the boy had left for Kristen. You let out a scoff from how terrible it sounded, like it came straight out of the book. “Vampire fishing for victims?”

“Probably just a human mouth-breather, right?” Dean presumed.

“On the other hand—talk about easy prey.” Sam said, finding himself becoming a bit cynical when he began thinking about the platform monsters had nowadays to lurk out their victims. And there was a special group of impressionable teens that thought having someone suck their blood was what romance was all about. “I mean, these chicks are just throwing themselves at you. All you gotta do is…I dunno. Write bad poetry.”

“And they say chivalry is dead.” You mumbled. You let out a quiet sigh from how an innocent girl might have put herself in trouble because she was so obsessed with a piece of literature and its fictional world, she couldn’t differentiate between reality and fiction. Sam pulled up one of the most recent messages and skimmed it, seeming to have discovered your next possible lead.

“Wow. This guy wanted to meet her at a place called The Black Rose.” Sam said. Dean rolled his eyes from how stupid the club had sounded. “Just reporting the news.”

“It’s probably just your standard-issue perv, right?” Dean wondered, all clues seeming to have pointed in that direction. You shrugged your shoulders as Sam shut the laptop. Whoever was in charge of kidnapping these girls, you knew for sure they were going to end up with their head chopped right off. It’d be one less monster on the street you had to deal with.

\+ + +

It seemed you standard pervert might not have been the reason for all the missing girls. The next night during your second stay in town a van carrying blood donations was jumped. As if that wasn’t suspicious enough, the driver was attacked, his throat ripped out and drained of all his blood. If these vampires were luring out females, why did they need extra blood? You and the boys waited until late at night to scope out the Black Rose to see if you could find a vampire trying to lurk out its next prey. Most vampires acted like normal people, but this bar scene was one you weren’t quite used to. Everyone in here was dressed in black and leather. You missed the dress code on this one, for sure.

“Well, you wanted emo chicks. I think we hit ground zero.” Dean said. The ambiance sure was the perfect spot for an underage girl to find her broody vampire that couldn’t control himself around her. You tapped your fingers against the bartop and waited patiently for the drinks you ordered a few minutes ago to arrive. The sounds of squeaky leather made you look up to see the waitress, who was wearing a little black dress, made entirely out of glossy leather, put down your drinks and ignored Dean when he said thank you to tend to her other customers. “Hey, Y/N. You think she wears all that rubber to the beach?”

“Oh God,” You let out a quiet laugh from the thought as you brought the beer bottle to your lips to take a drink. “Imagine trying to get the sand out of that dress. And the tan lines.”

Dean looked down at his own drink for a moment before realizing how long it’d been since the three of you had done something like this. Sitting back, even if you were on a hunt, enjoying something so simple as a drink. “When was the last time we had a beer together, anyway?”

“There.” Sam changed the conversation when he found the couple that he’d been staring at start to act a little suspicious. You looked across the bar to see a young, brunette girl who looked quite similar to the rest talking to a boy who was getting awfully closer to her. You narrowed your eyes ever so slightly, watching the both of them ever so closely. “What do you think? He’s hitting on her hard enough. Real?”

“I don’t know. It’s hard to tell.” Dean admitted. His gaze was distracted when he saw yet another girl just a few feet from the couple. The other girl was laughing and talking to two men, making you wonder who was the predator here. “And we got multiple choices.”

“Okay. We take one. Shouldn’t be too hard.” You said, shrugging your shoulders. But you could soon cross one off the list when the boy talking to the girl turned away when another boy approached the bar and lightly tapped him on the shoulder to grab his attention. Your brow raised in a bit of surprise to see both of the men share a kiss, making you realize he sure wasn’t the one you were looking for. “Make that two of them. Better for us, anyway.” 

Sam looked to the first couple when he noticed the boy was making his move on the girl. He gave her a sly smirk and grabbed her hand, pulling her to the back. “One’s on the move.”

“All right. You and Y/N go with Efron.” Dean said, noticing the other guy you’d been observing was starting to make his way for the other side of the bar. “I got Bieber.”

You warned the Older Winchester to be safe as you slipped off the stool, parting ways with him as you followed behind the guy when you noticed he was going to the lower level of the bar. You looked over your shoulder in the crowd of people expecting Sam to be not that far behind, but you were alone. You looked back in front of you and quickly caught the guy making a turn to a room that wasn’t the bathroom. You kept on trailing him until you found yourself in a more secluded part of the bar. Swallowing slightly, you pressed a hand against your jacket, feeling the machete close to you. Just in case things went south side. 

Inhaling a deep breath, you quietly pushed open the door and stepped inside, wondering if there was someone hiding around here. You noticed right away of the hanging light and how it was rocking back and forth, like someone turned it on and run for cover. Just the feeling of this place made you feel off. But you weren’t going to let some goth vampire scare you. Without any sort of backup, you stepped into the room, wondering if you could find the guy hiding anywhere. You didn’t hear the door slowly shut behind you as a dark shadow loomed in the corner, watching as you tried looking for him.

The vampire retracted his set of fangs as he started to approached closer to you, getting ready to take you by surprise. You felt someone’s fingers touch your shoulder, and before you could read for your weapon, he managed to catch you by surprise and push your backside to the metal shelves. You winced in slight pain, but before the vampire could make you his next victim, your hand slipped in your jacket in a final attempt to grab your machete. Someone beat you to it before you could save yourself. Suddenly you felt a splatter of blood cover your face and your upper body, catching you off guard.

Slowly, you opened your eyes to see that Sam was standing in front of you, the vampire’s dead body lying at your feet and his machete just a few inches from your face. If you had been any closer, if his aim had been off, you would have been his next victim.

"What the hell, Sam?” You hissed at him, quickly wiping away the blood off your face as he pulled his weapon away. You expected some sort of apology from him from the close call, or even vanishing, but he stood there with a calm look on his face. You could feel an uneasy feeling settled in you from the way he was acting. “Where’d you go?”

“I was around.” Sam said, shrugging his shoulders. You didn’t feel any better from his answer, and he could tell from how you furrowed your brow at him. “I’m here. Aren’t I?”

Yeah. Right when the vampire was getting ready to kill you. When he was so focused on you, he would have never suspected Sam to come out of nowhere. It was almost like Sam was using you as bait, luring the victim until he got exactly where he wanted and went in for the kill. Sam wouldn’t have done something like that to put you in danger. But lately, the old Sam was gone. You should have gotten used to his almost hollow personality. Yet, it only made you feel more on edge around him whenever you were hunting with him.

You looked down at your clothes to see that you were covered in the vampire’s blood from your head to your waist. You let out a frustrated sigh, knowing well enough you couldn’t walk out the front door without causing a few awkward stares. And you were surrounded by people who wore skin tight leather for an outfit and had piercings in all the wrong places. They knew something would be up once they caught sight of the blood splatter.

“Ugh, this is disgusting.” You muttered underneath your breath. Suddenly you were thankful that the motel the boys were staying at was all booked up, except for a double they shared. There was no way you were sharing a bed or crashing in the Impala. You had found another across town, just a few minutes from the bar. There was enough alleys to keep yourself hidden and make it back without causing suspicion. “Find Dean. See if he’s okay. I’m gonna head back to my room to take a shower.”

“Sure you don’t want some help with that?” Sam’s question made you stop dead in your tracks. You looked over your shoulder to give him a glare from the remark that was now paired with a smirk, knowing you set yourself up for that one. You weren’t the least bit amused from his sly comment. He didn’t seem bothered by your looks. “Make sure you don’t get caught.”

You mocked his warning as you waved your arm at him, throwing his concern as nothing more than sarcasm for him to have the last word. Sam watched as you headed out the back door and disappeared from sight. He knew if one vampire was around, another had to be here for sure.

The younger Winchester tucked the machete away for safekeeping and headed back upstairs to the bar area to see if his brother around. But all he saw was a sea of freaks. He decided to head to the back alley where Dean had saw the couple going. Sam found his way to the quiet alley and began observing the sight, making sure there weren’t any monsters that would take him by surprise. As he pulled out his machete, Sam stumbled upon a sight that would have made him panic any other day. When he had the ability to feel emotions.

Sam found himself stopping dead in his tracks and loosed his grip around the machete when he spotted his big brother pinned against a dumpster. He didn’t flinch, he didn’t try to stop it. Sam watched as the vampire holding his brother by the throat bite into his wrist to break the skin and get some blood. To change his brother into something they killed. Dean was rendered helpless. It was like watching someone taking a magnifying glass and putting it over an ant hill a sunny afternoon. Sam was fascinated at seeing his brother in such a fragile state. He had the power to save the man, but he chose not to.

Sam continued on watching. The vampire smeared the blood over Dean’s lips, just enough for the man to involuntary swallow ingest the slightest amount to turn him. Sam could feel his mouth twitch into just a little smirk. When he knew for sure his brother had got some of the blood in him, that’s when he took action.

He knew he could have easily taken down the vampire with a few simple swings, but Sam had a feeling the monster would come in handy later on. Sam had spent an entire year perfecting his mask of emotion. He charged forward and caught the vampire’s attention, making Dean fall to the ground, leaving the two of them to fight. Sam made a few slashes with the machete, but the vampire easily blocked them, making him believe that the younger Winchester was a hunter with little skill. The vampire backed away, laughing to himself at his victory as he sarcastically waved before making his great escape by running away and climbing up the wall, disappearing from sight. .

Sam turned his gaze away from the top of the building and to his brother, who was lying on the ground. Blood was smeared all over his mouth as he panted, the beating he took earlier took a toll on him. And it’d only be a matter of time until he would start turning. Sam tried his hardest to look shocked and concerned at what happened to his brother. All while knowing he could have done something to stop it, but didn’t. And he didn’t feel an ounce of guilt for what he’d done.

\+ + +

There were typical signs of what to expect if someone had the unfortunate pleasure of turning themselves into a vampire. Sensitivity to light that felt like the person felt like they were staring straight into a blinding spotlight that made their sight go to a blinding white. Sounds were amplified so they could hear anything in the distance of a mile. Dean tried to block out the noises of the city—from the triggers of passing cars, horns from angry drivers, and sirens that felt like were going off left and right.

Dean felt like every sense in his body was amplified by a billion, his nerves were on fire. Sam attempted to be helpful by shutting the curtains, but the sound of the rusty metal rings dragging themselves across the bar made him wince in pain. It was like someone had dragged their nails across a blackboard directly next to his ear.

“Oh my God.” Dean grunted in his frustration. “What is that sound?”

“What sound, Dean?” Sam asked, wondering what the older man might have been able to hear. The motel room, to him, remained fairly silent. The chaos going on down in the city streets below and their neighbor’s activities remained a mystery to him.

Dean didn’t answer his brother’s question when he knocked over a lamp that happened to be in arm’s length. The fluorescent light proved too much for the man to handle, and like a barbarian, he added more pain for himself when the lamp shattered to the floor into tiny pieces of glass and ceramics. The crashing noise made Dean wince in physical pain from the sound, but his senses calmed down ever so slightly when he didn’t have the light shining directly in his eyes. However it only got worse when the next door neighbors decided to turn on their TV to the full volume and have a conversation that sounded like they were shouting on the top of their lungs. Dean rushed over to the wall and roughly pounded his fist in frustration.

“Hey, come on! Keep it down, damn it!” Dean turned away from the wall quicker than he should have done, causing him to look directly up at lighting fixture that hung from the ceiling. He found himself wincing in pain again and tried to block out the blinding light with his hand as he squinted, trying to not go blind. “Please, please shut that off. Jeez.”

Dean heard his brother’s footsteps echo off the floors as he went over to flick the switch, making the room grow more darker. Dean could hear a sudden thumping in his ears, like a heartbeat. But he knew damn well it wasn’t his own. “Dean, you should sit down.” Sam said, trying to get his brother to feel a little more comfortable. Considering his new condition was making the man a little irritable to deal with.

“You sit down.” Dean mocked his little brother’s advice with a sarcastic tone. But he did what he was told. He walked over and sat himself at the edge of the bed. Dean cradled his throbbing head in his hands, willing to do just about anything to get this headache to go away. The man heard a passing horn of a train, which had to be at least a mile or two away from the motel. The noise made his head feel even worse. “Of all the ways to die, I never thought I’d be going out like this.”

“Dean, nobody is ‘going out.’” Sam said, trying his hardest to be the optimistic here.

The older Winchester refrained himself from making a remark when he heard a sudden strange noise pass his ears. It was a loud, mechanical ticking sound. Dean looked over his shoulder to the nightstand to see the alarm clock flipped over to the time of 11:11 p.m. He couldn’t take another second of hearing the noise. Dean pushed himself up to his feet and walked over to the nightstand. Without an ounce of regret, Dean roughly ripped the alarm clock’s cord straight out of the wall, causing sparks to shout out. The noise in the room suddenly stopped at that. The neighbors were silent as the dead with the exception of shuffling feet. Nobody in the streets honked their horns. And Sam’s heartbeat still remained calm, even when his brother smashed the clock to bits and pieces, catching him off guard by the slightest.

“Samuel is gonna kill me when he gets here.” Dean said, thinking the worst possible situation was going to happen after his grandfather saw him like this. Sam looked at his brother with a surprised expression, denying their own flesh and blood would do such a thing. “Yes, he is. Because I’m gonna ask him to because you won’t do it.”

“Okay, just hold on a second.” Sam stopped the man from jumping to the worst outcome. Dean snapped at his little brother. He could only see of himself as a monster. And not the perfect tool they could use against the enemy. “We can figure this out! Maybe we should call Y/N and have her come over. See if she knows anything.”

“Are you stupid? No! The less people we get involved, the better.” Dean felt himself suddenly become overcome with anxiety at the thought of you coming here. The man was having trouble enough trying to get himself to remain calm around his brother. The thought of feeding off Sam was a turn off enough to keep himself in place. But he wouldn’t know what he would do if you were around. What you would smell like to him. Dean tore himself away from his thoughts when he observed his brother for a moment. He listened to the man’s heartbeat. The idea of losing him, or even putting himself in danger like this, didn’t make the rhythm change. “Why aren’t you freaked out?”

Sam looked at the man with a baffled expression, “Of course I am!”

“Really?” Dean stared at his brother with suspicion now. The man’s facial movements began to change ever so slightly, to the way how Sam should be reacting to this. “Cause I can hear your heartbeat. And it’s pretty damn steady.”

“That’s because I’m trying to remain calm.” Sam explained himself. But his brother knew that he was lying straight through his teeth. So, the younger Winchester tried a little harder this time to make it more of a believable lie by shifting the conversation to another topic. Making Dean think that he actually cared about getting him back to a human. “Dean look, we really should call Y/N. Her and Samuel will know what to do.”

“Come on, man, I’m a monster. Okay? This is not a problem you spitball.” Dean said, shooting down the idea of dragging more people into this situation. than there needed to be. All Dean needed was his grandfather to be the one who would take the machete and chop his head clean off. “We gotta deal with this before I hurt somebody.”

The room fell into an awkward pause as Dean found himself wandering over to the windows with the curtains tightly shut, blocking out any sort of light that might bother him. But the noise coming from down below made him groan from the pain. He sniffled different smells of garbage, food, people’s scents…and that mouthwatering, iron rich taste. Dean could deny it all he wanted. But he couldn’t control himself much longer before he went mad for a taste of blood.

“How’s it feel?” Sam’s question made his brother look at him with an annoyed glare.

“Now?” Dean asked. The man sure had impeccable timing to pick the exact moment of sharing a heartfelt moment in his last hours of life. “Now you wanna talk about my feelings?”

“No,” Sam corrected himself. “I mean physically.”

“How do you think it feels? Not good.” Dean grumbled underneath his breath. He brushed his hand across his mouth from the stressful situation he was dealing with right now. Only did then he realize the blood the vampire had force fed him was still smeared all over his mouth. He began walking to the bathroom to wash it off his face. His brother took his sudden movements as some sort of sign that he was about to bust out of the motel room when Sam asked where he was going. “Bathroom, okay? News flash, Mr. Wizard. Vampires pee!”

Dean slammed the door behind him, giving him a bit of privacy away from the world and his very strange brother. He headed for the sink and turned on the water. He cupped a small amount of the water and splashed it on his face, rubbing away the blood and waking himself up when the cold temperature sent a shiver down his spine, giving him some shock to get himself feeling a bit control again. Dean let out a heavy sigh and looked at himself in the mirror. The reflection in the mirror wasn’t in control. He looked horrible. Dean lifted his upper lip with his index finger to see it was beginning. One fang began to reveal itself in his gums. He could feel his stomach drop in realization there was no stopping this. He was a dead man past tonight.

The older Winchester knew it was better to go out in style than turn into the monster he was supposed to hunt. But he couldn’t call it quits just yet. He had people that cared for him, people that he wanted to say goodbye to. He owed them that. Dean thought about it before he reached out to turn on the water again, this time, to run for noise cancellation. He’d be back. But he needed to visit a few important people to him first.

\+ + +

You made it back to the motel without much difficulties of people stopping and staring at you. You cut through a few alleyways and entered into the fire exit without anyone catching you. Before you changed out of your blood soaked clothes, you checked your phone to see if either Sam or Dean had left a message to see how things went. But you had no texts, no missed calls. You let out a frustrated sigh and threw the phone to the bed without much of a thought, it landed next to the copy of “My Summer Blood” you stolen from Kristen, the missing girl you were supposed to be looking for. But it was getting late and you were in need of a shower.

You stripped off your clothes and kept them in a pile in the corner of what you could salvage and others that needed to be burned. You treated yourself to a hot shower, scrubbing away whatever sort of blood that remained and dosing yourself in fresher scents. You emerged a few minutes later and dressed in some night clothes that consisted of an an oversized shirt you found buried in your bag. It was Dean’s old one that he lended you what felt like a lifetime ago. You should ask him if he wanted it back. Now that you weren’t a couple anymore. You checked your phone yet again to see that almost a half an hour since arriving back nobody had the decency to see how things were going. At 11:11 p.m. tonight, you were calling it quits.

You made sure all the doors were locked and the windows were shut, except for one. You knew it was a bit of a risky move with a nest full of vampires still out there and one of them dead. Your scent was all over the bar, too. But if you and the boys did your jobs right, a vampire was dead, which mean it’d be a hot minute before one of them found out who you were. And your room felt awfully stuffy. You needed some fresh air before you would lock it up for safety.

You dropped yourself onto the bed with the phone at your side and cracked open the book to the very first page, curious to see what the hype was all about. You made it through a handful of chapters until you found yourself falling into a light slumber. The book slipped out from your grip and fell to the ground, landing face first with the cover illuminated by the dull fluorescent lights.

\+ + +

Dean Winchester has done a lot of stupid things in his life. He went to visit the woman who had opened up her door to him, put her entire trust in him—even went as far as thinking he could be someone her son could look up to. But he went to them to say goodbye. And left there knowing it was the biggest mistake he could have done. Dean kept rethinking about how he pushed Ben so hard against the wall, wanting him to be safe from the monster that he was becoming. He knew he left there with them hating his guts, scared out of their minds from what was going on. Maybe it was better that way. It wouldn’t hurt when the news reached them, whenever it did.

Saying goodbye to Lisa was important. She’d been the woman who had help put his life back together after the tragedy he lost. But she wasn’t the first people he thought of when he realized he was about to die. Much as time passed on, he couldn’t get himself to shake the feeling. Perhaps it was because you were his first love, one of the only people he felt completely safe to be vulnerable around. The only person who saw him for who he really was. He couldn’t just call it quits without saying goodbye to you. You were his best friend. Each of you had saw each other at your worst. You might be one of the only people who would still love him, no matter who he turned into. Or what he might do.

Dean was worried about your safety if you had come over to the motel to try and figure out a situation that was only going to end one way. He was stupid for what he had done. He should have called you on the phone, explained everything, told you that he was sorry—that he loved you. And be the end of it. But things don’t always go according to plan. One thing lead to another, and he found himself standing in the corner of your motel room.

Your scent was all around the room, it wrapped tightly around his throat and squeezed, making it harder to concentrate on anything else. All of a sudden it was like his mind focus on that. And how familiar it felt to him. It brought him back to times you sat dangerously close to him as you told him about something. Or the nights the both of you shared beds. Your body wash that you used with every shower made him go crazy. Paired with the other things he could pick up, Dean knew it’d be impossible to last this long. The cocktail was better than anything he had come across with his new abilities. It made him feel safe. Like a starving animal with a little prey dangling in his face. So naive about what was going on, you’d never see it coming.

You shifted slightly in bed when a passing siren echoed in the room, making you come back into slight consciousness after you rose from your slumber. Your vision was a bit blurry when you rolled over to your stomach and reached for your phone that had slipped under your pillow. You rubbed your eyes, not knowing there was someone watching your every move, until you could see things with clear vision. That’s when a sense of panic rushed into you.

He heard your heartbeat begin to pound fast and hard in your chest when you realized a possible threat. He was now staring down the barrel of a loaded gun you kept underneath your bed. You face now turned into a hard and cold glare, showing the intruder that had been watching you from the corner of your room that you weren’t easy prey. However, when you got a good look at the familiar face, you could feel your facial expression change in confusion.

“Dean? What the hell?” You questioned the man standing in the shadows of your room, looking more like an intruder than your friend. You let out a sigh of relief as your heartbeat began to ever so slowly calm down. You put the gun down to the nightstand and rubbed your hands over your face, getting the last bit of worry out of your body. “You scared me half to death. Thanks for creeping up on me like that.”

“Sorry.” Dean mumbled an apology. You watched as he squinted his eyes when he looked in your direction, not realizing the lamp on your nightstand you left on was bothering him. “There’s a reason why I’m here. I wanted to see you.”

Those five words could mean anything for a hunter. Your mind went first at something happened to Sam. You could feel your heart suddenly beat faster in your chest from fear. “Couldn’t you have at least called me first? It’s one in the morning, Dean.” You said. You looked over at the clock on the nightstand to see that it was exactly 1:15 A.M., two hours of lost time while you were sleeping. You looked to see that Dean was approaching your bed with absolute caution. It made you feel even more nervous. “Or—there’s new thing called knocking. You might want to try it some time.”

“I tried. You didn’t answer.” Dean lied straight through his teeth. He wasn’t going to tell you that he snuck his way in here by climbing up the fire escape and slipping inside your open window, only to spend at least a half an hour watching you peacefully sleeping. That’d be creepy. The closer he got to your bed, the stronger your scent became. He gathered all of his self control not to do something he would regret. More than hurting Ben. You stared at him with concern now, knowing well enough something was going on here. “Listen…”

“What’s wrong?” You asked him with sudden urgentness. “Are you okay? Is Sam okay?”

“Sam’s fine, relax.” Dean reassured you, taking in a deep breath himself to calm down when he heard your heart beat faster again at the thought of Sam getting hurt. You moved slightly closer, making the invisible grip around his throat tighten even more. To the point where it felt hard for him to even speak. “I need you to know something, Y/N.”

You furrowed your brow as you looked at him with confusion, unsure of the direction of where this conversation was going. “Are you okay?”

"Not really.” Dean muttered underneath his breath, his lips twitching into a slightly grim smile. He cleared his throat as he turned his head slightly to look at you. “I need you to know that you’re one of the best things that ever happened to me. Just, uh…thanks. Okay? For everything.”

“What the hell is going on?“ You questioned him with a harder tone, coming off more abrasive than Lisa had been. You knew him better than the back of your hand. Something was up when he got this way, confessing emotions that he only showed when the worst scenario was playing out. Of course it only lasted for so long. You felt yourself becoming overcome with fear from what was going on. You slipped out from the covers and crawled over to him. You sat right down on your ankles and scooted yourself closer so you were right next to him, leaving no space between the both of you. Dean could hear your heartbeat race a little faster. “Dean, you’re starting to scare me.”

You weren’t the only one. Dean couldn’t deny himself anymore, the situation was more torturous than anything he ever could imagine. His eyes wandered up from the ground and to you. He swallowed slightly when he noticed that you weren’t wearing much to leave to the imagination. But he didn’t need that to remember what you looked liked. Everything about you—from the smell, to how you were right now—was making him lose control. He clenched his jaw and pushed himself up to his feet before you could rest your hand on his shoulder in comfort. Dean was trying his hardest to ignore his new urges. You furrowed your brow in surprise as he suddenly backed away, putting a distance between the both of you, hoping it would work.

“Oh, God.” Dean mumbled underneath his breath. He remembered about how the one passage from the book he read, how that stupid vampire snuck himself into the main character’s room and watched her sleep. How he whined about the struggle to keep his impulses under control. How their love was impossible, despite wanting to be with her. “I’m Pattinson.”

“What did you say?” You asked, hearing him mutter something to himself.

“Nothing, Y/N. I…” Dean quickly turned around to face you. “I gotta go.”

“No, no, no.” You pushed yourself up from the bed and walked over to him, wanting to get a few things straightened out before he even dared to step out the door. You were now angry all over again. “You can’t just show up here like this and—”

“Believe me.” Dean said. He suddenly appeared like he did back when you and the boys were dealing with the apocalypse matter. Out of his mind, on the edge and ready to do something you knew meant something you would hate him for. “I wish I was here on different reasons.”

“Just stop! Shut up for five seconds, okay? You’re jumping all over the place, Dean.” You said. You placed your hands on your head to run your fingers in your hair, not realizing the shirt you were wearing rode up ever so slightly more. “You’re really scaring me. Explain to me what the hell is going on here.”

“I thought I had it all under control. But I can’t do this.” Dean admitted what had been bothering him. It meant so much more than just his feelings. Your face changed slightly from what you heard him say next. “Not when you’re around.”

“Are you drunk? Oh God, you’re drunk.” You rolled your eyes and shook your head, thinking his behavior was caused by him having a few too many beers at the Black Rose. Something happened tonight and he decided to break all his morals for some liquid confidence to wash away the pain. Dean said that he wasn’t. You scoffed and the bed to grab your phone. You started to punch in the younger Winchester’s number so he could handle this situation and put Dean to bed to work off the alcohol. “I’m calling Sam. You clearly are drunk out of your head. You can’t show up here like this and—”

“I’m not drunk, Y/N.” Dean snatched the phone out of your hands, taking you by surprise. He felt himself drowning in guilt from how you were staring at him now. He let out a sigh and tossed the phone to the bed for safekeeping. “Something happened tonight, Y/N. Something bad. I wanted to see you.”

“What’s so bad that it couldn’t wait until morning?” You asked him. You placed your hands on your hips and tilted your head to the side, demanding some kind of answer from him. You rolled your eyes once more when he remained silent, forcing you to play the guessing game. “What? Lisa break up with you or something? Is that why you’re here?”

“No. Something happened tonight that made me realize I can’t bring this kind of crap to her. It’s too dangerous.“ Dean admitted. You stared at him, wondering what happened tonight. Your mind went to a moment of panic, wondering if something happened to them. Dean shook his head, seeming to have guessed your first thought. You didn’t know Lisa that well. But from how she handled things, and how Dean had been so cautious over the past year, it seemed like their relationship could have worked. "It’s ugly…it’s violent…she doesn’t understand my life. Not like how you do.”

You opened your mouth to say something about how he was being dramatic here. But when you began to digest the words, the meaning behind them, you looked at him differently this time. You stared at the man in front of you to see that he appeared miserable, in pain from what was going on here. Your lips twitched into a slight smile, but it was forced, like you were trying to keep the anger boiling in your body from going over the edge from what he was doing to you.

“If you thought coming here tonight was to tell me you want me back, let me help you. The answer is no.“ You said, taking this conversation to a whole other level. Neither you or him discussed the outcome of your relationship. It was always a silent agreement that you were just best friends and hunting partners. But you thought Dean was holding onto the corrupt past. "I’m not gonna be here whenever something doesn’t work out for you. What we had before is gone. I mean, it was fun. But I spent that year away to get over you. And I am. Just…let me say this to make things perfectly clear. I don’t love you anymore.”

Dean could heart your heartbeat spike up when you said those five words as your breathing shortened slightly. He remembered once reading somewhere that a way to tell someone was lying was by the rhythm of their heartbeat. It spiked when they were lying. Or you were getting emotional at saying such harsh words to him. Either way, he didn’t have much time left in this world to figure out what you meant by it. And he had a feeling, no matter the answer, it would leave him in pain. Sometimes it was better not to know what people really thought of you if they couldn’t give the same feelings back.

“I’m gonna die, Y/N.” Dean spoke his own set of harsh words, taking you by complete and utter surprise. And just like that, your mind suddenly changed. Your facial expression changed into panic from what you heard him say. “Soon. That’s why I’m here. I wanted to say goodbye.”

“What?” Your voice grew quiet as a church mouse. All the color drained from your face, and just like that, you were suddenly regretting what you said before. You examined him for a few seconds, trying to figure out any sort of signs to figure out what was wrong with him. You could see that he was nervous himself. But stressed out of his mind. You approached him slowly. “I mean, I still do love you. You are my best friend. Always have and always will be. You’re not gonna die, Dean. You can tell me what’s wrong.”

Dean knew that you would understand. He could simply say that he was turning into a vampire and he came here to say goodbye. But the thought was thrown straight out the window when you did something stupid. You placed your hands on his shoulders and gave them a squeeze in support. Little did you realize that it was the worst mistake that you could have done. Dean tried his hardest to control himself for long as he possibly could. He stared at you, trying to somehow focus on something other than your heartbeat that was pounding in his ears like a drum. Or how your smell was the only thing that he could think about anymore. God, he wanted it.

Without a single warning, you felt yourself being turned around and slammed against the wall, a little rougher than you had expected. Your heart rate suddenly began to pound faster when you realized where you had ended up. Dean had his hands on your shoulders now, trapping you in a position that neither one of you had been in a long time. Your eyes widened slightly as the man holding you was now staring at you with an intense gaze. You watch as he began to move forward, making you wonder what’s about to happen. You don’t know what was going on, or why you were letting this happen. But you could feel yourself shutting your eyes when you saw his mouth moving towards yours, the temptation was too much.

Dean wanted to do it. He wanted to kiss you and share a moment that felt like a million years ago, touch your body. But that’s not really what his mind was going for. Ever so slowly, his new urges, the ones that he’d been trying to control, were now taking over his movements. He was so close now. He didn’t realize he was lowering his mouth to the crook of your neck before he caught himself. It’d be only a matter of time until the monster in him came out. He managed to pull himself away before he did something that’d he regret for the rest of his life. In the process of saving your life, you caught him in his new form.

“Oh my God.” Your first response was in complete and utter horror at what you saw standing in front of you. Your eyes widened when you saw Dean’s teeth had changed into a set of fangs, the kind you’d seen earlier in the night when that vampire nearly tried to kill you. It all made sense now of what he was doing here. He had accidentally been turned into a vampire. And he’d been seconds away from ripping your throat out and drinking your blood.

Your natural instinct was to grab the machete you had kept by your beside, for emergencies. But you took a second to actually stare at Dean, wondering if he’d fed. But from the strung out look on his face, he wanted to, yet refrained himself. A sense of relief washed over you from the knowledge you’d heard about from a conversation you had with Sam and his grandfather. There was a way to get out of this situation. You opened your mouth to tell him that everything was going to be okay. Before you could get a single word out of your mouth, he disappeared from your sight. You clenched your fist and slammed it against the wall, rolling your eyes from how dramatic men could be.

\+ + +

You didn’t waste a precious second of your time of changing into a new set of clothes and heading out the door to make it back to the brothers’ motel room. Nobody was picking up the phone and Samuel had to be in town from the last time that his youngest grandson called him for some help. And you knew it wasn’t just to take down a nest. On the way to the motel, you couldn’t get the image of Dean out of your head. From the way he was looking at you when he slammed you into the wall, making you believe that he wanted to kiss you. To his newly grown fangs to whatever sort of vampire that jumped him. You didn’t know the story behind what happened while you were gone. All you knew was that you needed to get him to Samuel before it was too late and he fed more than his new primal urges.

You pounded your fist against the locked door of the motel room number that belonged to the Winchester brothers. You realized it was almost two in the morning at this point and there were other people around here trying to sleep. But you had far more important things to worry about than the boys’ neighbors hearing you try to get someone to open the damn door. You knew they were here. The Impala and Samuel’s van was parked against the sidewalk. You tried one more time before someone finally had a decency to answer the damn door. Sam was the one who quickly opened it, you didn’t say anything as you pushed his large frame out of the way and stormed into the motel room.

“What the hell is going on?!” You asked your questions when you heard Sam shut the door. You quickly turned around on your heels when you stopped next to the double beds, ignoring his grandfather who had arrived himself just moments ago. You looked at the younger Winchester with an angry glare. “When were you gonna tell me Dean got turned?”

“You saw him?” Samuel asked, you looked over your shoulder and nodded your head. The man let out a sigh and dropped his duffel back to the table. You looked around the room to see if you might be able to find Dean somewhere, but the room was empty of any trace of him. You could feel your stomach tighten up in nervousness, your mind filling with possibilities of what he could be doing right now. “Dean’s not himself. You shouldn’t have let him out of your sight, Sam. He’s a monster and he’s hungry. We gotta prepare to do the right thing.“

“I told you he’d kill me when he showed up.”

You heard a familiar voice coming from behind the wall in the small kitchen, making you let out a sigh of relief when you realized the voice belonged to Dean. The two men pulled out their machetes, preparing for the worst when they realized a hungry vampire was loose in the motel room, and they didn’t know where he was. Your hand reached for your back pocket of your jeans to feel the outline of the syringes you filled with dead man’s blood before you started the hunt. Worst possible scenario, if Dean was hungry, and he didn’t feed, you could pump him full of blood and find the vampire who turned him. But it all depended if he resisted his hunger.

You watched as Dean walked out from the kitchen, gracing you with his presence once again. It was hard to examine his appearance in the dimly lit motel room to see if he was covered in any blood. He stood facing the window that looked down at the city street below, making you a little bit nervous that he was trying to hide the evidence of what he’d done after he left your room.

“Did you feed?” Samuel asked the most important question that was on everyone’s mind.

“I went to say goodbye to Lisa and Y/N,” Dean said. You watched as the man turned his head ever so slightly to the side when he looked at you from the corner of your eye. It seemed he wasn’t happy that you dragged yourself here. You crossed your arms over your chest, knowing for damn sure you weren’t going to be left out of something like this. "Which, for the record, was a lousy idea.”

“Dean, answer the question.” His grandfather commanded.

From the tone of voice he used, Samuel didn’t have the patience to hear what sort of trouble his grandson caused while he was saying his final goodbyes to the people he loved. His concern was making sure Dean didn’t screw things up so bad to the point where the three of you couldn’t fix it and make everything better. The older Winchester, ever so slowly, turned around in his spot to face the three of you to show that no blood stained his mouth or clothes. But something about him was different. You noticed a man different from the one that you saw in your motel room. A cold, almost dark expression settled across his face when he stared at all of you.

You never saw Dean in the role of playing some kind of a monster. It was you and Sam who had the unfortunate pleasure of being possessed by demons and took turns having Lucifer ride around in your skin for the hell of it. Not to mention, it wasn’t that long ago where you went darkside with almost no point of return. Dean had always been the hero who saved you from yourself. It seemed the tables had turned tonight and you were here to help him.

“You can relax. I didn’t drink anyone.” Dean answered the man’s question finally, making you let out a sigh of relief at hearing the news. Samuel slowly began to relax, Sam didn’t show much of an emotional change. The older Winchester moved his gaze to you, subtly hinting that he didn’t want you to be here to witness what was about to happen. And how he couldn’t quite control himself around you. You smelled so good. “But I came close.” Dean had made his inner peace with how things had to be handled. He shrugged off his jacket and placed it on the counter for safekeeping. And just like that, he stood perfectly still, waiting for the swing of the machete to cut his head clean off. “All right. Do it.”

You furrowed your brow slightly from how dramatic he was being as you looked up at Samuel, wondering if this might be the right time to tell the man the good news. “Okay, if you insist.” Samuel said, walking over to the older Winchester with the machete loose in his grip and having no desire to use it. “Or I could just turn you back.”

Dean’s face dropped slightly from what he heard, “What?”

“What?” Sam quickly repeated his brother a second later, as if he didn’t have a clue himself.

“I didn’t drive all this way to kill you, Dean. I’m here to save you.” Samuel explained the news to the older Winchester. The four of you gathered around the table to discuss what you would need to perform the cure. Samuel pulled out a leather bound journal that looked almost like John’s, but more worn down due to time. He opened it up to the marked spot and handed it to Dean so he could read it over. “That’s my grandfather’s journal. There’s an old Campbell recipe, kind of like soup. No one’s tried it since God knows. From what I hear, the stuff is a bad trip.”

“Awesome.” Dean muttered underneath his breath, but he was the least bit enthusiastic from what he had to do in order to get himself back to normal.

“Hey, the cure is good. But a lot of this is on you. You drink, you’re done. I’m talking one drop of human blood.” Samuel said. The older Winchester looked up from the journal to give the man a glare, thinking he knew the rules he’d been trying to abide by over the past few hours. “Do you? Because you will feed. It’s a matter of time.”

Dean shut the journal and slammed it down to the table, “What else do we need?”

“Some stuff we got, some we gotta get. The trickiest thing, blood of the fang who turned you.” Samuel explained the little details that were the most important of all. You looked over at the younger Winchester when he muttered something about the vampire being huge. “Nothing in the recipe about easy.”

“I can get it.” Dean said.

“You gonna walk right into the nest alone?” You asked him. “Are you stupid?”

“Well, I’m one of them, aren’t I?” Dean questioned you right back. He thought with his new abilities he could sneak in there and do the impossible all by himself without being the slightest bit tempted. He pushed himself to his feet. “So all I gotta do is get in there, get the guy alone, and shoot him up with so much dead man’s blood he’ll think he’s rushing a fraternity.”

“You’re not doing this by yourself.” You said as the legs of your chair squeaked underneath the wooden floorboards when you followed his actions. “I’m coming with you.”

“No, you’re not.” Dean argued with you, shooting down your helping hand before you could get yourself hurt. Or worse, pulled into this crappy situation with him. “Don’t take this the wrong way, but you reek, sweetheart.”

“Excuse you,” Your face scrunched up from what you thought was an insult on your part. “I’m clean. I showered earlier tonight.”

“Not like that you smell…good.” Dean said, trying to explain his keen sense of smell without sounding like a madman. “Like warm, cherry pie.”

“While that’s awfully sweet, I’m not letting you go in there alone.” You told him one last time as your voice grew harder with worry. “Besides, we don’t even know where this guy is.”

“No problem. I can smell him. Two miles east of town.” Dean answered without breaking a sweat. You looked at him a bit funny from what he could do. He shrugged on his jacket before pointing his index finger at you. “Don’t even think about following me alone, Y/N. I’ll be fine. Stay here and get the other crap. Then you can meet me there.”

You rolled your eyes and let out a sigh of defeat, Dean began walking to the door, but his grandfather stopped him from going into the nest without some added precaution. “Dean,” Samuel held up a rather large looking syringe with a dark crimson color in the tube. It’s dead man’s blood. Now, there’s enough there to drop a linebacker, and then some. Good luck, son.”

Dean grabbed the syringe and tucked it safely into his jacket pocket until he would need it later. You let out a quiet sigh and watched as he headed out the front door. You waited five minutes before you declared you needed to go back to your motel for some extra supplies. Samuel wasn’t all too pleased to let you out of sight, but you promised to be safe and be back in a few minutes. Like hell you were going to let Dean put himself in danger like that. He needed some help on the inside.

You headed down the motel hallway, feeling the outline of the machete you tucked in your jacket and several syringes you kept in your back pocket. The vampire who turned Dean liked to target pretty and young women. And that’s exactly what you were going to give him. In return, you’d have his head on a silver platter for what he did to the man you loved.

\+ + +

What Dean was about to do on his own was like bringing a recovering alcoholic to an open bar with all his friends drinking and encouraging him to jump off the deep end. All it took was one drop of human blood before it was all over. Dean wasn’t the type who had much self restraint. He drank too much and his previous history of hookups was enough to prove that. But when it counted, the man focused on the task on hand with a clear mindset. And that’s what he needed if he wanted to get inside the nest that was crawling around with vamps.

Getting inside was the easiest part. Dean waited outside in the alley that lead into the nest until someone stepped out. It let him slip inside without anyone realizing when he rigged a wire to the door so it would shut just enough for the two vampires that heading out didn’t realize what Dean had done. Once he got inside, Dean wasn’t sure what to expect after this. He wandered through the quiet and abandoned halls with caution, not entirely sure what waited for him around the corner. Or if he would be considered a welcomed guest. Dean slowly tried to peek into the doorway he saw, but all of a sudden, someone jumped out at him, taking him surprise. A kid, who looked like he should have been on the cover of that crappy vampire novel, jumped out from thin air. Dean waited cautiously for some kind of attack.

“What’s up?” The kid greeted him with a casual attitude, seeming happy to see the man than thought of him as a threat. Dean smiled slightly as he began to explain who he was, but the kid seemed already to know before he could even speak the words. “The guy Boris turned outside the bar, right? He said to look out for you. Well, glad you made it, man.”

The kid put his fist out in front of him, taking Dean by surprise when it didn’t collide with his face like he expected. It took him a second before he realized this was the younger generation’s high wive. Ever so awkwardly, Dean bumped his fist against the kid’s. The exchange ended quickly as it started. The kid nodded his head down the long hallway and told Dean follow him. Dean rolled his eyes from what was happening and began walking again before approaching a door and stepping into another part of the abandoned building.

“So you must be starving.” The kid said, knowing it’d been a few hours since Dean had been turned and found his way here. A light coming from a cooler just across the way made him realize where the missing blood bags went after hearing about the van being jumped. The kid walked up to the fridge and slid the door open, looking through the options, he picked one out and proceeded to hand it to Dean. "Here you go.”

“I’m okay.” Dean declined the offer. All though his new hunger was desperately begging to grab the blood bag out of the kid’s hands and take it down in one swing. The kid looked at him a bit funny from what he was hearing. Dean smiled, quickly thinking on his feet for an excuse. “I killed so many people over here, so…”

“Yeah, uh, about that…company line is, we don’t kill people anymore.” The kid said, giving him a bit of helpful advice so he wouldn’t get in trouble. However, a smirk began to crawl at the ends of his lips from what he heard, making him grow a bit envious. “But you gotta tell me what’s it’s like.”

“Yeah. Yeah, first chance I get. I'll…” Dean made a promise to the kid he knew he could keep as a smirk spread across his lips. “I’ll show you myself.”

The kid grew a wider smile as he brought the blood bag to his mouth so he could rip off the stopper with his teeth and discard it to the ground. Dean suddenly felt like a man who was dying of hunger and was forced to watch another person eat a big, bloody steak in front of him with a grin on his face. His mouth felt dry when he watched the kid drink the blood without an ounce of remorse. Dean could feel himself itching for a taste, just to satisfy this need inside of him. His eyes wandered to the blood bags for a moment. But Samuel’s words suddenly rang out in his head, making him realize there would be deadly consequences. So, he refrained himself.

Dean tore his gaze away from the blood bags and began following the kid when he began walking again and headed down a flight of stairs. He looked to see there was about three other vampires standing around, each of them had a glare on their faces when they saw him coming down. Almost they were jealous of him, but Dean had no idea why.

“Don’t worry about them. They’re jealous. The recruiters get to bang all the chicks. That’s you now, bro.” The kid explained. Dean took the last step before he found himself approaching the rundown main room of what looked to be an old bank. “Yeah. Big man’ll explain.”

Dean began walking around deeper into the abandoned room that was cleared of its debris by pushing it into a few different corners of the room. Seated at a desk across the room, Dean spotted a familiar looking face hovering over a laptop with a young girl sitting behind the desk. Dean could feel an uneasy feeling settled in his stomach when he realized the girl sitting behind the desk was Kristin, the vampire that turned the both of them was dangerously close to her, and she wasn’t all that comfortable.

“Be with you in a minute.” Boris raised his finger to the two men, his concentration kept on the laptop screen. He wanted to make sure the message he was about to send to the girl he’d been talking to for the past week was exactly right so he could lure out another one of these stupid girls like Kristin. “‘Your skin is like the black velvet of the night.’ Nice. Stupid bitch’ll eat that up. She’ll be dying to meet.”

Boris chuckled to himself at how creative he thought he was. He leaned in closer to invade the young girl’s space, he buried his nose into Kristin’s hair, taking in a long sniff. She recoiled and winced in discomfort, making Dean want to rip the son of a bitch head off right now from what he was doing. But the vampire wasn’t all that heartless. Boris instructed the girl to reward herself with some blood before coming back to continue on this little game of catfish. Dean averted his gaze to see there was more than just talking to unsuspecting victims online. He looked to see several newly-turned female vampires were locked up in cages, devouring their blood bags like hungry animals deprived of what they needed.

Dean quickly averted his gaze away, only to spot eyes with Kristin who passed him, she looked unsettled herself at the reality of what was going on. This was far different from what she imagined. Suddenly he could hear the sound of a rushing heartbeat, but he knew it wasn’t from her. Dean slowly began looking around the room from the bottom floor to the iron railing upstairs, wondering if the three of you had come a little too early like he hoped. But it was just him and Boris at the moment, leaving Dean’s speculation to carry on.

“Thank goodness.” Boris said, making Dean stop observing his surroundings and to the vampire that was now approaching him with a smile. “Thought the hunter chopped your pretty head.”

“Naw. I got away.” Dean lied to the man. He pretended for a moment he was confused at a term he was all too familiar with himself. But Dean wasn’t that today. “Sorry, what’s a ‘hunter’?”

“You’ll find out soon enough.” Boris’ tone of voice suddenly changed into one that made Dean’s stomach sudden twist into knots when he began to slowly realize his worst fears were about to come true. “It’s your lucky night, my friend. Looks like we caught ourselves a live one.” 

Dean’s new found senses were going crazy. The air was thick with an aroma of an iron rich taste of blood, but not the kind that made his mouth water with delight. It was…different. It smelled like blood. But the man knew the familiar scent. It was the one that drove him crazy when he first got a whiff of it in the motel room and nearly drove him into giving into the urges. Dean began to cautiously looked around the room as the heartbeat got louder and louder, making him wonder where the hell you were. It only took him a second before he saw you being dragged against your will into the room. The smell of blood was of the vamps you’d beheaded on the way in here. Whatever the hell you were planning on doing, Dean didn’t think this was part of your master plan. Or so he thought. You always had a trick up your sleeve.

“Caught this one sneaking around the joint.” The man said on the left, nodding his head down to you. Boris raised a brow, as if he was wondering how many of his creations that you had gone through before you were caught. Dean watched as the smirk that was on the man’s lips slowly falter from the answer he was forced to say. “It’s…not good. She kept going. Nearly got my head hacked off myself if Robert didn’t catch her by surprise.”

“Oh, don’t be so modest. I was just warming up. Fun’s just getting started, pretty boy.” You said with a smirk of your own from what you managed to do. You looked over shoulder to give the man who barely looked older than twenty a wink when you managed to yank your arm free. You eyed the bloodied machete the other vampire was holding of his fellow family members you beheaded to get here. He threw it to the ground, but from where you were standing, you’d be dead in the matter of seconds before you could even think about reaching for it. Your attention shifted away from your weapon to the rather disturbing sight in front of you. “Well, last nest I slaughtered was sure a lot more friendlier to their newcomers than this. What does a girl have to do to get some respect around here?“

Your focus drifted to the rather disturbing looking cages that imprisoned a group of young girls that were locked inside. They were ravenously drinking blood through stolen bags of donated human blood like they were a bunch of depraved animals. You squinted slightly to see a few of them were the same missing girls you had piled together before taking on the hunt. But none of them were Kristin. An unsettling feeling began to sit in the pit of your stomach when you began to realize you stumbled upon a horrifying project. Ever so quickly, you looked over at the older Winchester, both of you shared the same disturbed reaction from whatever was going on here.

Before you realized what was going on, you felt someone’s grip around your arm and a yank on your hair, twisting your head to the side to expose your bare neck. Dean flinched in anger from what Boris did, but he couldn’t do anything, for it wouldn’t get just you killed. But his mind started to wander downwards when his eyes did. Dean couldn’t help himself but stare at the hollowness of your neck, and how your chest moved up and down. Any other time, he would have ripped the monster’s head off his neck without an ounce of hesitance. Yet, he wasn’t exactly himself. Dean wanted to help…but, God. He was so hungry. You stiffened discomfort as you took all your self restraint not to rip Boris’ head off when he invaded your personal space to get a whiff.

"You eat? If not, she’s all yours, my friend.” Boris offered the first catch of the night, knowing it would be a matter of time until the other two hunters arrived. You swallowed slightly as you opened your eyes again to look at Dean, who was trying his hardest not to look like starving man about to turn down a meal. He shook his head slightly, muttering something about how he ate. Boris shrugged his shoulders as he let go of you, allowing you to stand up a bit straighter with some comfort. "Good. You’ll need your strength.”

“For?” Dean wondered.

“Robert didn’t tell you?” Boris asked, the older Winchester shook his head. The vampire scoffed as he rolled his eyes from the lack of communication that went on around here. You flinched in discomfort when you found your personal space being invaded again by Boris as his fingers ever so slightly brushed against your chin, like he was about to grab it to force you to look at him. The icy cold glare kept him at bay. “How old you do think I look, sweetheart?”

“Like a dead man.” You answered for him. You rolled your eyes from the impatient look he gave you from your remark that he didn’t think was funny. So, you decided to amuse him with a guess when you realized you should be stalling to get on his good side if you wanted this plan to work like you wanted. “I don’t know. Thirty-three?”

“You’re off…by about six centuries. And these are the best days in the last six hundred years to be a vampire.” Boris chuckled to himself. You watched his every move as he walked around the ground floor from the cages to you and Dean. Not once did you lose track of the machete that now laid abandoned on the floor. “Dracula, Anne Rice? Please. These stupid little brats are so honry they’re reinvented us as Prince Charming with a Volvo.” Boris wandered over to one of the girls that was leaning against the cages. And without a warning, he stuck his hand inside and yanked on her hair, causing her to wince in pain. “So I give it to them. You, pretty boy, you go out and you get them, and you bring them home to me.”

“You’re a sick, son of a bitch. You know that, right? I mean, I’ve come across a few vampires in my time. But never have I seen them treated with such disrespect. You manipulate and kidnap these poor girls before turning them into monsters.” You said. You gave the vampire a look of disgust for what you were seeing and what he was doing. “What’s with the cages?”

“Oh, that’s just, you know…till they’re complaint.” Boris explained his master plan. You furrowed your brow in discomfort when he began walking forward to you again, invading your personal space to make a point that a measly little hunter like yourself wasn’t going to stop him from doing what he’d been accomplishing over the past few months. “Eventually these girls will fetch me boys like him and around and around we go.”

“I gotta say, I’m impressed.” Dean spoke up, trying to avert the attention off of you to give you back some of your personal space. “This whole system, that’s all you?”

“No, no, no. No. I just implement, you know? Make sure that all of you fall in line. No hunters ruin our big plan. It’s his. Our father’s.” Boris said. A grin spread across his face as he looked up to the ceiling. You knew damn well what he was talking about, but you decided to play along with what he was saying. You looked at him with a rather intrigued expression, prompting him to invade more of your space. You swallowed slightly, trying your hardest not to back away when he got so close to you, he could examine you even better. “Aren’t you the curious you?”

“Oh sweetcheeks,” Your lips stretched into a tight smile, “You don’t know the half of it.”

“I like you sweetheart. You’re feisty. Helps that you’re easy on the eyes, too. So good I could just eat you right up. Don’t you think?” Boris’ question was for the older Winchester. You looked over at Dean to see that his expression faltered for a moment. His lips stretched into a smirk as he nodded his head. You winced in pain when you felt a grip around your arm again, Boris help you so tightly that you swore he was going to leave bruises. He leaned forward to the older Winchester, deciding that it seemed appropriate to offer him again. “You sure you’re not hungry? I could give you a private tour, have a little snack. A little VIP treatment.“

“You know what,” Dean decided to play along, having a strange feeling this was all part of your big plan. “I think I will.”

Boris chuckled to himself at the fun he was about to have. You felt a push on your back, making you stumble forward and start walking like he wanted. You inhaled a deep breath and did what you were told. Dean followed behind. You looked over your shoulder for a split second to make eye contact, and when Boris wasn’t looking, you gave him a wink, showing that this was all going according to plan. Dean looked around to see the place was pretty much empty of any sort of distractions or people to put a stop to what he was about to do. He shoved a hand inside his pocket to fetch out the syringe full of dead man’s blood that Samuel had given him.

Dean popped off the plastic top and got himself ready to plunge the needle into the son of a bitch’s chest and pump him so full of blood he had no idea what hit him. But the man didn’t realize that he accidentally pressed down just enough, a little droplet slipped out, letting it hit the floor. That’s all it took for the plan to be foiled when Boris got a whiff of the smell.

All of a sudden, you felt yourself stumbling face first to the floor when someone roughly pushed you out of the way. Dean barely had seconds to realize what was going on before he was pinned from behind and Boris gripped his wrist that held the syringe. The older Winchester tried to fight off the man, but even with his new found abilities, it was near impossible to fight off a vampire that was six times his age.

“You playing games with me, boy?” Boris hissed at him, squeezing Dean’s wrist so hard as he tried to get the needle out of his hand to disarm the man when he realized the older Winchester was a hunter himself.

Before either one of you could face your consequences, in the matter of seconds, things took a very strange turned. You felt yourself overcome with confused when you heard Boris mutter something underneath his breath before he stepped back and fell straight to the ground. You looked over at Dean, who seemed baffled himself at what was happening. He wasn’t the only one who was affected. Everyone just…dropped.

Echos of thumps could be heard through the building, making you realize everyone was falling into unconsciousness, even Dean. You slowly pushed yourself up to your feet, waiting a second to see if anyone would move when you did. What the hell was going on here? You contemplated for a moment if you should have stayed at Dean’s side to see if he would come around. But you hunted enough vampires to know they didn’t drop like flies. You heard a repetitive word among the crowd, father. Something was going on here. You found your machete, and without even wasting a second, you decided to use this for your advantage and send a message of your own.

You tried to cover much ground as you could, but this place was huge, and they’d be only out for so long before they tried to kill you again. You managed to take down a few more vampires and attempted to behead another. RIght as you were about to take a swing at him, he came back around, and took you by surprise. He knocked you back down to the ground, but you recovered, managing to take a final swing that cut his head right off. You headed out to the balcony that overlooked down below to see Dean was slowly rising back to consciousness.

“Dean!” You yelled the man’s name on the top of your lungs, making him jolt wide awake right as you saw trouble coming his way. Boris was about to let his very hungry creations run free, giving you a challenge you couldn’t take care of all by yourself. “Come on!” 

The both of you worked together in trying to take down a nest that almost seemed impossible on any other day. But Dean had confidence. You worked through a few more vampires as Dean shot another one that lunged forward at him before Dean came running up the steps, joining you for whoever might be up here. You swung up and cut off the head of some kid that popped out from one of the rooms, nearly taking the older Winchester by surprise. Both of you looked to see that it was the last of the vampires upstairs. But a hoard of them were running up to you.

Dean looked over to you to see how you were handling yourself. In the midst of all the chaos, you stood there with not a single bead of sweat on your face. Dean quickly looked away to focus himself on the trouble coming towards you. But, for some reason, he found himself doing a double take when you went swinging yet again to one of the girls that charged after you. For a split second, behind the smirk that spread across your lips, he swore to himself he saw a sight that he’d seen before. An evil expression on your face, eyes dark as your rotten soul. Back when you weren’t human. Back when you were demon.

The older Winchester didn’t concentrate too long about what he saw, thinking it was some kind of mind trick hs new side was trying to pull on him. He hadn’t bed, and after what he’d seen when he blacked out, maybe this was an attempt on turning against you. You were a damn good hunter, you could take of yourself in a nest full of vampires.

You instructed Dean to take care of the second floor when you started to see more vampires come scurrying out of whatever sort of hiding place they were coming out form. Your main focus had shifted from taking down the nest and finding where he was. All it took was the mention of the Alpha for your personality to change. You knew Boris could be more useful than just getting his blood to help change Dean back. He had to know the whereabouts of his father. When Sam and his grandfather got here, you could let them handle the rest.

You scoured the bottom floor of the bottom floor of the place, checking around every corner, but it suddenly seemed that everything went dead silent. You wondered for a moment if he’d gotten away to start again. But the sudden echo of a noise made you look over your shoulder and examine the area, your eyes flickering to a color that wasn’t your own when you felt them narrow at the suspicious sound. You tightened your grip on the machete and began to slowly walk where you thought the noise came from. You inhaled a deep breath and got ready to take a swing when you darted into the room…only to find out that it was empty.

You furrowed your brow slightly as you lowered down your weapon, putting your guard down just long enough for you to have the tables turned. Before you realized what was happening, you felt yourself being pushed forward again, all before someone grabbed a fistful of your hair and roughly bashed your skull right against the wall.

Dean was covered head to toe in blood after taking down four vampires in a row. He backed away slowly, wondering if there was any more that would pop out, but the entire building fell into complete silence. He looked below to see there were nobody around, not even you. Dean decided to see what else he could do with his new found abilities. Without breaking a sweat, he leapt straight over the railing, landing feet first on the ground. Dean slowly stood up straight and looked around again. The entire building was still quiet. It didn’t take much to realize that you and him had killed everyone…well, almost everyone.

Dean could hear it, the sound of a heartbeat pounding away, making him realize you were still alive. But he couldn’t see you just yet. He cautiously looked around for any sort of sign of where you were. All he could see were beheaded bodies all around him. The air was thick with blood, too many different smells clouded his judgement of who’s was who’s anymore. It all mixed together. But he didn’t care for a taste. He wanted to finish this once and for all.

“You’ve stopped nothing. You know that?” Dean could hear his voice, but he didn’t show his face just yet. You winced in pain when you felt the bloodied edge of the machete brush against the crook of your neck when you felt yourself being dragged out into the open. A threatening glare settled into Dean’s expression when he saw Boris standing behind you, holding you hostage. He wasn’t the least bit scared at what you and Dean had done. “This is much bigger than you and me.”

Boris should have known better than to take on someone like Dean. It all felt like a blur of what happened and how you ended up here. But they were dead. Every single vampire in the nest had been slaughtered. You cradled your aching head when Boris caught you off guard and decided it would have been a good idea to give you a mild concussion. You looked over at Dean when you realized that you had a little bit of blood clotting down your hair. You gave him a worried look from the temptation alone, but he didn’t seem all that fazed.

“I gotta say,” Dean looked around at the bodies that laid all around you. You could tell that he was still pissed at what you did to get yourself inside, but it worked. “We make a good team.”

“That, we do.” You agreed with the man as a small smile began to spread across your lips.

You looked away from the man for a second and to all the decapitated bodies sprawled around the place. Most of them were caused by Dean because of this new abilities, but you knew a fair share of them were caused by you. This wasn’t your first time taking down a nest. But even for you…this was too much for one person to handle without some proper backup. You tightened your grip on the machete when you heard footsteps coming from the second floor. Samuel and his grandson swiftly came inside, only to discover the sight for themselves.

You looked up at them to see what their reaction would be. The older Campbell tried to hide his disbelief at what he was seeing. Sam, however, could feel the slightest smirk spread across his lips when he saw the look of uneasiness settle into your facial expression. He knew you’d done it again. You didn’t remember doing any of it…not that it was a blur in your memory. But you just didn’t have one. It was like you blacked out with anger and slaughtered half of the nest on your own. The older Winchester must have heard the sudden spike in your heartbeat. When you looked over at him, you smiled once more, pretending that everything was just fine.

\+ + +

Learning for a hunter meant you found your information in dusty old books about lore on the monsters you were hunting and journals of the generation that came before. John Winchester’s journal had came in handy over the past few years. Samuel Campbell proved himself to know a thing or two himself. He’d given you all sort of tips and tricks since working with him, things neither Bobby or John would have thought of. But for some reason, you were starting to have serious doubts about the this famous home remedy for curing vampirism. You’d discussed it with him and Sam a few months prior, before Dean even got involved in hunting again. It’d been several decades since someone tested the cure to see if it even worked.

All though, since hearing about it, you’d always been a bit curious to see if it were true. Sam was the one who had gotten the guts to suggest the idea that someone should risk it—be changed into a vamp and go incognito in a nest to see how things worked out in there. Not only could you see if the cure worked, you could find out more about this Alpha you’d been hearing an awful a lot about. You thought he was joking when he said it. He gave you a deadpan stare to make you realize he was serious. To him, it was like killing two birds with one stone. Hunting was all about figuring out what worked, and what didn’t.

You forced yourself to laugh at the idea to disguise your unnerving reaction at what you heard. Samuel looked at his grandson with a disturbed expression when the young man didn’t feel the slightest bit of remorse to put a family member of his in danger like that. Eerily enough, it seemed that what Sam wanted was slowly coming true.

Maybe what happened was by pure accident. Maybe he let his brother get turned. You didn’t know, you weren’t there to witness what happened between the both of them. You were walking back to the motel after Sam cut off the head of a vampire who tried to attack you. Perhaps it was just an incident of being a few seconds too late. If you had paid attention a little better to your surroundings, Dean wouldn’t have gotten turned. Sam could have been there faster to save his brother. You could go through every possible scenario, but at the end of it all, nobody could be blamed for what happened.

Samuel gathered all the supplies he would need to brew up the cure into a mason jar you found lying around the motel and saved the most important for last, the blood of the vampire that turned Dean. You crossed your arms over your chest as you watched Samuel pumped the needle full of Boris’ blood into the drink, letting it turn into a musky looking crimson red that looked rather unappetizing. You looked over to Dean to see how he was holding up, but from the way he was acting and the pained expression on his face, it was easy to see that he was agitated. He tried to be patient as he waited for his to finish. Dean didn’t know how much longer he could last before the hunger inside of him won, making him a monster like this forever. But he pushed through, just a little longer.

“If this works, it’s not gonna be a kiddie ride, you know that?” Samuel warned the older Winchester about the cure as he got everything finally together and poured the contents to a clean coffee mug for easier consumption.

“That’s great.” Dean grunted, not really caring at this point what it would take to make this feeling go away. His breathing was coming out in heavy, short pants as a way to keep himself under control for a few seconds long. All of a sudden he could hear someone’s heartbeat just pounding away in his ears. “Light her up.”

“So what’d you see in there?” Sam couldn’t help himself but ask a few questions to his older brother. You slowly looked over to the younger Winchester, who was leaning against the table with both of his knuckles resting against the wood, a little curious smirk at the ends of his lips to see what his brother had to say. Dean looked at the man with a confused expression, not sure what he’d said. “In the nest. What’d you see?”

“Sam, I can’t hear you. Your blood is so freaking loud. Just back off.” Dean hissed out, putting his bloodied hand out in front of him to keep either you or his brother from saying anything. You furrowed your brow in concern from how he was acting, the man couldn’t wait a second longer for this to be over. “All right. Give me the damn cure.” 

Samuel handed over the coffee cup to the man and gave him a warning that what he was about to do was painful. Dean held the cup with both of his hands and cautiously brought it up to his nose to take a whiff, his nose wrinkled as an appalled look crossed his face from the smell alone. You let out a nervous chuckle when he quickly pushed the cup away from his face.

“There’s no turning back now.” You said, knowing this was the older Winchester had to do. He looked over in your direction, you gave him a small smile for encouragement. “Bon Appétit.“

“L’chaim.” Dean cheered as he held up the coffee cup, his lips stretching into a smile. You could see his apprehension for what laid ahead of him, but it had to be done. He counted down in his head before he took the plunge. You raised your brow slightly in surprise at how Dean downed the entire concoction, not even caring that a few mouthfuls slipped out and dripped down his face, making a complete mess all over himself. He drank all of it like a man dying of thirst. It took him a second before he inhaled a deep breath. He caught his breath and waited…what for, he wasn’t exactly sure. "I don’t think it—”

All of a sudden Dean’s words were cut off when he felt his stomach overcome with a nauseating feeling. He quickly turned around in his spot and leaned over the trash that had been conveniently behind him after Samuel put it there when he warned him the cure would make his body throw up any sort of toxins in there. And was the man ever right. Dean began to violently vomit. You winced at what you were seeing. Every part of you wanted to help him, but you knew this was what you were warned about. This was his body’s way of getting out the poison. Or he was slowly dying from the inside out.

“Is it working?” You asked Samuel, your eyes never leaving the older Winchester.

Samuel wasn’t quite sure himself at what he was witnessing. He presumed the cure was moving right along, or Dean was dying a very slow and painful death. Your head quickly snapped to look at the older man from the unsettling words that he said. All of you weren’t sure what the hell you were witnessing. But Dean had the short end of the stick. You heard him cough and groan in pain from the foreign things that were happening to him.

Maybe he was being cured. Maybe his organs were slowly shutting down and he was about to die. He suddenly felt a sudden rush of memories hit him all at once. But his life wasn’t flashing before his eyes. It was like his mind was going from the very last thing he remembered to the second he was turned.

Dean remembered everything; from using Boris’ head as a footstool after he cut it clean off, to when he got first into the nest, but then his memories kept reversing. A sudden pang of guilt rushed through him when he remembered pushing Ben into the wall. The feeling was soon overcome with pain as his stomach clenched in agony from what was happening. He heard you call out his name in a worried tone when he collapsed to the ground, but it sounded like a mere echo. He remembered the moment he shared with you in your motel room, the moment that nearly changed it all. Then it reversed even further, to him struggling to keep his new senses under control from how the lights bothered him to every little noise. And then he was in the alley where it this nightmare started.

Dean remember the feeling of lying on the ground after he got turned. Sam fighting off the vampire before he got away for a short while. Sam watching in the shadows as his brother got beaten up. The ends of Sam’s lips twitching into a smirk when he watched Boris smear the blood over his brother’s lips, knowing damn well he got turned.

Dean could feel his eyes suddenly rip open when the pain inside of him vanished and the world grew absolutely silent. The man could hear his breathing that was coming out in shallow and quiet breaths. That was it. He couldn’t hear anyone’s heartbeat or the sound of a siren from a few miles away. He only smelled air, that was it. Dean looked up to see that you were hovering over him with a petrified expression. When you realized that he was still breathing, you dropped yourself down to your knees and waited until he pushed himself up into a sitting position. All before you wrapped your arms around him, pulling the man into a tight hug, squeezing him hard as you possibly could.

“Thank God.” You muttered underneath your breath, your voice lined with relief when you realized he was back to his normal self.

Your quiet laugh vibrated through Dean when you squeezed him even harder. On any other occasion he would have felt some sort of happiness himself, but even wrapped in your embrace, he couldn’t shake this strange feeling inside of him. He suddenly felt…paranoid.

Dean’s eyes slowly were drawn to his brother. It took him a moment before the thought created itself in his mind. He wondered if his brother could have stopped this. If Sam put his life at risk to see what it was like to be a creature they hunted.

\+ + +

It was a little after the morning sun rose when you headed back to your motel room to get yourself cleaned up and all your belongings packed. You didn’t leave until you made sure that Dean was fully himself again. The thought of losing him due to a slip up on a hunt made you scared. You’d just gotten him back, you didn’t want to lose him all over again. You shoved a folded shirt back into your duffel bag and mindlessly packed all your belongings together quickly as you possibly could. The taxi cab that you called would be here in about fifteen minutes and you still had to get all your toiletries together and slip on your shoes.

As you took a step away from the bed, you didn’t realize there was something lying on the floor until the back of your foot brushed against it, almost making you fall backwards. You managed to catch yourself and move your footing so you didn’t crush the paperback novel of “My Summer Blood.” You forgot you started reading it last night before falling asleep. A smile began to creep at the end of your lips as you examined the rather creepy front cover of the novel. The main male character standing in the corner of the female’s bedroom, the darkness of the room kept him hidden, except for the pale moonlight that cascaded out the window.

It might seem dreamy for a teenage girl to be watched over by a man in her most vulnerable state, thinking that he was protecting her from the monsters that lurked in the dark. If only if she knew her Prince Charming with fangs was the exact kind of monster that wanted to kill her. You were about to let out a laugh as your eyes wandered up from the cover. Only you could feel the noise slowly crumbling into nothing when you realized you were now staring at the corner of the room. Where several hours ago Dean stood in the shadows as you quietly slept, not realizing he was watching you.

Suddenly you remembered the passage of the book that he’d read while you were in Kristin’s room. How he could hear the blood rushing inside of her, almost being able to taste it. How desperately he tried to control himself…how he knew their love was impossible. You scoffed and shut the book closed before throwing it to the bed for housekeeping to either throw away or take. It was just a book, you told yourself.

You continued on packing and getting everything ready to keep yourself busy and not focus on what happened in this motel room with Dean. Every once in awhile you’d looked over at the wall he threw you against and wondered what would have happened if you had let him kiss you. But you knew that’s not what he wanted, he wanted to feed his hunger. His hunger for blood, that was.

\+ + +

Everything was coming along better than it had been yesterday morning. You had all your own belongings packed into the Impala’s trunk as the three men finished up the rest of their packing. You helped with what needed to be done, gathering up now cleaned machetes and putting dirty cups into the sink, making sure to wash out the blood so nobody would become suspicious of what happened last night. Dean emerged from the bathroom a few minutes after you arrived at the motel. You looked over your shoulder to see the man was standing in the doorway, but for some reason, he didn’t move yet. You didn’t realize he was watching his brother with a close eye. When he finally moved his gaze to you, a smile crept across your lips as you gave him a smile.

“Hey. So, what’d you see?” Sam noticed that his brother was all showered and clean. He didn’t waste a precious second of his in asking the same question he did last night. Dean was caught off guard, you furrowed your brow slightly when you noticed that he seemed almost…spooked. A curious smile crept on the younger Winchester’s lips when he asked again. “In the nest. What’d you see?”

“Uh, I’m still working through it. But I’m pretty sure they’re not figuring anything out on their own. They’re getting their orders from the top. Where to go next, everything.” Dean explained what he could remember to the three of you as he approached the table. You raised your brow slightly, wondering what he meant by the top of the food chain. "Their Alpha. That’s what I think it is. They’ve got some sort of psychic thing happening. He sends them, I don’t know, messages.”

“That explained why all of you dropped like flies.” You said. “What’s he trying to say?”

“Honestly, Y/N? Recruitment drive. Their Alpha’s building an army.” Dean told the three of you. It explained the sudden surge of disappearances over the past few weeks, stealing the donated blood instead of killing their victims. It was so hunters didn’t get suspicious. Teenagers run away all the time. And with the sudden rage of sparkly vampires, people probably suspected a psycho wannabe jumped the van driving blood because they thought they were one. It could have almost been perfect. But that wasn’t the worst of it. “We don’t scare them anymore.”

“They might not be scare of us anymore, but they should be of Y/N.” Sam’s remark was supposed to be funny, maybe even a little bit flattering. But you found yourself staring at him with an angered expression at what he was really hinting at. “Just the mention of the word Alpha and she just…turns into a different person.”

\+ + +

Dean might have patched things up between you and him, but he still had a sticky situation with another person he was supposed to be seeing soon. But he figured that the plans were cancelled. For good. He stood outside in the parking lot with the Impala’s trunk popped open and his belongings stuffed inside. He forced himself to stop for a second now that he was alone to call her—to explain to Lisa that who she saw last night wasn’t him. But she didn’t answer. All he got was her voicemail. Dean was tempted for a moment to leave her a message. And say what? Sorry for pushing Ben into the wall, sorry for dragging you along for an entire year while I was thinking about someone else. My bad. If you couldn’t tell, I’m not good at relationships.

He hung up the phone after the automated voice asked him to press one to continue recording the message or hang up the phone. Dean chose the second option. He let out a frustrated sigh with how things ended up. After all this time, he was alone. Dean shoved the phone into his jacket pocket and slammed the trunk door. Little did he expect you to be standing there. You were about to give him yet another smile, but when you saw the look on his face, it disappeared.

“You okay?” You softly asked him, having a gut-feeling you knew what the sullen look on his face was all about. Dean remained silent for a moment, he shook his head to answer you. You winced slightly at the name you were about to speak. “Are thing with you and Lisa…good?“

“I don’t think they ever were.” Dean muttered underneath his breath. You looked at him with a bit of a funny expression. “No. I’m pretty sure screwed this one up for good. I don’t know what I was thinking. Guess I should have learned by now relationships aren’t exactly my kind of thing.”

Dean fetched out his keys from his pocket, deciding he wanted to sit in the car and wait for Sam to hurry up getting his belongings and saying goodbyes to Samuel. Before he could open up the driver’s side door, you stopped him with a question. “Do you still love me?”

The older Winchester was caught off guard from your question that felt out of the blue, “What?”

“I said—Do you…still love me?” You repeated your question to him, but this time, slower, so he would understand what you were asking of him. Dean suddenly looked like a deer in headlights, you weren’t sure if it was in confusion as to why you would bring a suspect up at a time like this. But it was what you needed to hear in order to resolve the problems between him and Lisa. You knew it was more than what happened with Ben. Someone was holding him back. “It’s a simple question, Dean. I told you last night. And you can tell me.”

You told yourself for months that Dean liked the idea of being in a relationship with you because that’s what he was told. And he only knew how to think like that. Your entire relationship was based upon a bunch of unhealthy ways to save one another from Hell, a bunch of lies that lead you down the path to end the world. It was nothing more than cannon fodder for the both of you to pick the right decisions that were already planned out for you. But for some stupid reason, you and Dean thought what you had was the real deal. He was the one who stuck out his neck to save you from becoming a demon for good and working for Lucifer. You had put yourself in danger so he wouldn’t turn into a vampire. The both of you would do anything to save one another from mortal danger.

Yet, no matter how much time passed, who the both of you chose to spend your time with, the feeling never went away. Each time you looked at him, every single time he spoke your name, your stomach filled with butterflies. You always thought of him when you shared a moment with someone else, silently wishing that it was Dean holding you the way he knew you liked. But you kept telling yourself that what you had was over. It wasn’t real to begin with. Dean, however, didn’t think that way. He didn’t say anything to you. He didn’t like saying things out loud. He was more of the kind of guy who showed instead of saying it. He decided to show you how he still felt about you.

Suddenly it felt like last night all over again. Before you realized what was happening, you felt a soft grip on your shoulder before you were being backed into the Impala. Unlike last night, he didn’t throw you up against the car door, he gently maneuvered you, and you didn’t fight him on this. You could feel the coldness of the metal seep into the fabric of your jacket, but it was seeing Dean’s piercing green eyes staring at you that made a shiver run down your spine. You knew it was coming. You knew it was wrong. But you couldn’t stop it. You wanted it as much as he wanted you again. It’d been over a year and a half since you felt his touch against yours. The last kiss you shared was right before you passed away. Dean was about to change that.

You could feel your eyes slowly flutter shut when you felt Dean’s lips against yours, his hands around your waist, pulling you closer to him. You pretended for a moment, just a split second, that this was okay. It felt so good…it felt like home. He made you feel different when you were with Sam, he made you feel actual emotion. You wanted to stay like this forever, you wanted to know when you pulled away from Dean that he was yours again. But he wasn’t.

After what felt like the shortest moment of time, you placed your hands on his chest, and ever so slowly, you pulled away from him. You let out a quiet sigh and looked up at him. The both of you shared the same guilty, sad expression from what you’d just done.

“The answer’s yes.” Dean admitted his feelings to you, deciding there was no better time than to just putting it out like adults. You worked together, you spent every waking second in one another’s company. He thought it was better to put everything out in the open, somehow hoping if you knew he still harbored his old feelings, maybe you changed your mind. But the way you grabbed a fistful of his navy blue jacket told a different story. You appeared like you were about to try and shake some sense into him once and for all. “It’ll always be yes.”

“Dean…you can’t do this to me.” You muttered the words underneath your breath. You let out a quiet sigh, knowing there was too much to process here at once. It took all your strength not to crack under pressure and say the wrong thing. You forced yourself to remember what you said back in your motel room, about how you didn’t love him anymore. “Lisa will come around. She’s an understanding woman.”

“Lisa’s a great woman. She truly is. But…she’s not you, Y/N.” Dean tried to explain his feelings the best that he could. You swallowed slightly as you looked away from him. The man fell silent himself for a moment, slowly, he came to the conclusion that you told him flat out last night. “You really don’t love me anymore, do you?”

"No, I don’t.” You quietly whispered. If your nose could grow like the wooden puppet Pinocchio when you lied, it would have been ten feet long by now. “Look, give it some time. You got Lisa. I have Sam…”

You looked down at the ground for a moment when you slowly trailed off, thinking that he would understand that he had someone else to think about now. But when you turned your direction to look up at the older Winchester, all of a sudden, he was staring down at you with a confused, and very hurt expression. You furrowed your brow, wondering what you said to make his mood change like this.

“Is that why you don’t want to get back together? Because of him?” Dean’s question made you twist this conversation into playing the pronoun game of who he was talking about. You knew damn well who he was. You knew he heard the remarks Sam made, the looks he gave you. The freaking phone conversation where you were moaning his little brother’s name. You watched as Dean’s facial expression changed…he got the courage to ask you when you gave him the ammunition. “That entire year the two of you were together hunting. It was more than that, wasn’t it? Is that what’s going on here, Y/N? Are you and Sam…Are you with Sam?”

Dean felt himself suddenly more vulnerable than ever from what he was asking. He wanted you to be honest with him, no matter how much it hurt. In the pit of his stomach he knew that there was something going on. There had to be. With his brother, with the two of you over the past year. Dean wouldn’t have judged you. Yes, it would hurt to know that you and his baby brother were hooking up on the side. But Dean had spent a year trying to hide himself away from the world of hunting. All he wanted was the truth. That’s all he asked. But you stood there, the surprised look on your face was gone. You looked at him like you were about to start laughing.

“Wait, what? You think…Are you asking me if Sam and I are sleeping together?” You forced yourself to act like all of this was a big joke, a miscommunication upon words and relationships to one another. It was so easy nowadays to lie about your feelings and bend the truth. You thought Dean had his suspicions. It wasn’t like you were really lying to him. You weren’t having sex with Sam. Not anymore, at least. “God, no. Sammy’s like my little brother. Just the thought alone is so…weird. What would make you think of such a thing?”

“I…You know what? Forget it. Pretend I never asked.” Dean said. He felt like a fool for what he did. If he could take anything from this conversation, it was two things. You didn’t love him anymore like he did. And you weren’t sleeping with his little brother. But he had this sneaky little suspicion in the back of his head, like you were lying to him. He didn’t say it. Right now wasn’t the time. He looked away from you when he saw a tall figure slowly approached the car. “Speak of the Devil. There’s our favorite little brother. The man we can always count on to have our backs. Right, Sammy?”

The younger Winchester approached the Impala at the exact right moment, but he seemed a little bit confused as to how the conversation shifted to him. “Yeah.” Sam agreed with that smile of his. He smile all he wanted, but after a certain amount of time, what he was showing was just teeth. There was no emotion behind it when you looked into his eyes. “Of course, Dean.”

Dean held back a scoff. He didn’t know what the hell was going on anymore. He looked at his little brother, all before his gaze left on you. Dean suddenly felt like he was about to step into a car full of strangers. All he wanted was the truth. But, sometimes, people can’t handle the truth.


	5. You Can't Handle the Truth.

Dean Winchester didn’t have an easy life. Grief was second nature to him, disappointment was just another part of his life that he grown used to. But what he wasn’t so familiar with was heartbreak. Thousands of songs sang about it, he’d seen enough cheesy rom-coms based upon it. Never did he think he would have to face something like it. It’d been four days since he had been turned into a blood sucking vampire and hurt Ben, the son he never had. But had been trying hard to be a father to for the past year. He been close to the edge of ripping someone’s throat out to quench a thirst he never wanted to have again. And not to mention, the one moment Dean decides to put his heart out on his sleeve, it ended up torn in two.

Where did Dean go from here? You didn’t love him anymore. But he did. He loved you since he was two years old, sitting on the hospital bed and staring at the red faced baby crying about the scary world around you. He placed the softest kiss to forehead and told you that everything was going to be all right while you were still cradled in Ella’s arms. For about a year and a half after you were born, it was just the two of you, Sam was still a thought in their parents mind about wanting another one. Until they saw you. Then everything happened. Betrayal, lies, the whole story about the world ending and people that were supposed to be dead magically came back to life.

The year that he lost from you and Sam he spent with Lisa, who wasn’t speaking to him after he pushed her son into the wall. Maybe that was the final breaking point for her to realize what kind of monster she was letting into her home. Maybe she came to her senses and figured out she could do so much better. Dean loved every second of that year. He knew that he could never go back to the way things were. But he wanted to try and work things out. He wanted someone to talk to him, tell him the freaking truth about what the hell was going on with his life. And how he ended up here.

\+ + +

“He asked you about it, didn’t he?”

Your question came out of caution when you felt your stomach tighten in nervousness as you looked over your shoulder and down the small hill where you left Dean. He made some remark about needing to make a phone call to Lisa, but it seemed he was distracted of leaving yet another message when you saw him staring in your direction next to the food cart. The both of you quickly looked away from each other when you accidentally made eye contact. You looked back to the younger Winchester, who stood next to you with an all too casual expression on his face while he waited behind a woman and her child to order some early lunch before hitting the road again.

You’ve never felt so stressed in your life before about a problem that seemed so insignificant to what you dealt with on a daily basis. It’d been a few days since you dropped the biggest lie of your life; you weren’t in love with Dean Winchester anymore. And to make matters even worse, you flat out laughed at the accusation of sleeping with his little brother. You knew the man had all the evidence to make you tell the truth. But you weren’t exactly lying. You’d cut ties with the younger Winchester when you started hunting with Dean again. You wanted things between the three of you discreet and back to normal. However, all of that came crashing down when an afternoon of research turned into something much more different.

If your nose could grow like the wooden puppet Pinocchio, it would have been ten feet long by now from all the lies you were telling—to yourself. To everyone that mattered around you. You’d been trying to go through life acting like falling in love with Dean Winchester was all based upon lies, it was the master plan to end the world.

You couldn’t admit that you still had feelings for him. You couldn’t admit that during the year you spent apart from him you were sleeping with his little brother—not because it was fun—but because you were trying to fill the void in your heart that once was once filled by him once upon a time. You kept telling yourself that Dean deserved better. Even though told you that he still loved you straight to your face, you shoved him away.

“Not directly.” Sam admitted, shrugging his shoulders. You narrowed your eyes slightly on him. You hated how he got like this, not showing much of a care. Everything to him lately seemed so easy to roll off his back, it was like nothing affected him anymore. “He asked me how things were going between the both of us since he was gone. Wondered if I thought you’d gotten hotter over the past year. You know, locker room talk.”

“And?” You hesitantly awaited to hear his answer, “What’d you say?”

“I told him that I thought you were always hot and wanted a piece of your sweet ass. I also told him we’ve been having harcore, meaningless sex behind his back.“ Sam said. His tone of voice was all too casual, making you wonder if he was telling the truth. Or if he was just being an ass about the entire situation. You could feel a heat creeping up your neck as the mother in front of you looked over her shoulder slightly from the conversation she was hearing. "Relax, Y/N. What we choose to do in our free time is none his business. And besides, I’m pretty sure he’s still hung up on Lisa. You’re just his rebound chick to make him feel better. Don’t flatter yourself into thinking he still loves you. The guy doesn’t know what he wants anymore.”

If Dean heard what his brother said, he would have shared a very different opinion on the matter. But then whatever came out Sam’s mouth lately was the complete opposite of what he thought. His little brother hadn’t been himself since coming back from the cage. Sam wasn’t the overly sensitive guy who gave the “we need to do the right thing” speech when it counted, and he sure wouldn’t have stood back and watch Dean get turned by that vampire. The way Sam acted now, all the way to how he breathed—everything irritated Dean.

You came back from the cage yourself and you didn’t seem to show any sort of red flags. Maybe you were just good at hiding it better than Sam could. Maybe it was just Dean being a cynic. But he knew nobody got out of hell for free. He had a hunch of what was going on here. It was a tricky one and dangerous, however, it was the only one that made sense. Who loved you as much as Dean had? Obsessed over you, even? Who wore his brother like a cheap suit and acted like a complete dick, hellbent on killing Dean to get him out of the way? The Devil himself.

“I know what I saw, Bobby.” Dean defended himself when he looked over his shoulder again to see you and his brother were in conversation again, oblivious to how the older Winchester staring at the both of you with a scrunched up face in anger. He scoffed and turned around, continuing on talking to the older hunter about his suspicious of his brother.

“We tested him and Y/N. Salt, silver—everything.” Bobby said.

“He threw me to that vamp.” Dean argued his doubts, refraining himself from saying a few other things that would only make this conversation grow awkward. He didn’t have proof of the feeling that you and his brother were growing closer. What he did know was that thing standing next to you was chalk full of crazy. “I’m telling you,it’s not my brother.” 

“Well, then he’s something we aint’ ever seen before.” The older hunter suggested. At this point in the conversation he was throwing all sorts of possibilities out there and wondered what would get Dean to stop being so paranoid about nothing.

“Yeah, or it’s freakin’ Lucifer.” Dean hissed quietly underneath his breath, turning his head when he saw a few people walking behind him. The older hunter asked if he called their angel friend from above, who had been MIA for a few weeks now. “‘Course I called Cas. He’s not answering. Screw him. I can’t wait anymore.”

“Look, I get it. You’re rattled. You’re right to be.” Bobby said. “But let’s be professional—”

“Professional? He threw me get turned!” Dean cut off the man, feeling the need to bring up a point he’d make clear the last several times Bobby had heard it.

“What you saw…are you sure that’s what you saw?” Bobby cautiously asked, knowing it would have been followed by backlash when Dean defended himself. “Well, ‘you know’ aint the same as proof. ‘Cause we’re talking about—”

“We’re talking about doing something about this, and fast. And besides, it’s not just the vamp.” Dean said. “He has been different from the jump.”

“All right. I’m with you.” Bobby agreed with the older Winchester, thinking the man might actually have some serious concerns that needed to be looked at. Dean didn’t think the man was on board with him when he questioned his loyalty to the plan. “I’ll hit the books, hard. Just don’t shoot Sam yet, all right? Watch him. We need facts. ‘Cause if it ain’t Sam…we don’t know what it is. And if we’re gonna put him down, we need to know how.”

“I don’t even want to ride in the same car with him,” Dean grumbled like a small child who was acting like he was fighting with his sibling. “Much less work a damn case.”

“Get in the car.” Bobby ordered. “He’s your case.”

With the encouraging words, Dean heard the click of the call, all before the dial tone that followed after. Dean rolled his eyes and ended the phone call. Shoving the phone into his pocket, he suddenly felt himself nearly jump out of his skin when he felt someone’s touch on his shoulder. He quickly looked over to see that it was you, smiling at him like nothing was wrong. Your expression changed slightly when you noticed that you’d taken him by surprise.

“Hey. I was just, uh,” Dean managed to come up with some excuse, explaining his reason for the phone call. You nodded your head slightly, not all too surprised when you heard a familiar name come up into the conversation. “I was leaving Lisa a message.”

“She still hasn’t called you back, huh?” You wondered, giving him a bit of a sympathetic look from how Lisa was leaving the man high and dry for what he’d done. You were still waiting for things between the two of them to finally patch up. Dean shook his head, giving you the update you suspected. Sam didn’t seem all that broken up about it, mumbling something underneath about how it sucked. “How are you holding up? You okay?”

“Yeah. I’m fine.” Dean lied. “How are you two?”

“Me? Great. Here, look. Check this out. Think it might be something.” Sam shifted the conversation to what he’d previously discussed with you a few minutes ago while in line. He pulled out the folded newspaper from underneath his arm to show his brother the headline was of a rather unusually high suicide rate for the small town. “Four people out of nowhere. All in the last couple weeks. What do you say?”

Dean examined the newspaper for a split second, contemplating if he wanted to case so soon. But he knew it was better to keep his mind busy than sit around all day and staring at his brother, wondering what the hell was wrong with him. So, he agreed with a positive tone. You grabbed the paper from him and gave him yet another small smile before heading off to the Impala, making Dean feel just a little bit crappier about his life.

You’d been acting like nothing was wrong, and while he’d been doing the same, the ache in his chest from what you said never went away. It was only growing worse. He thought to himself that you might have moved on already, you were just better at hiding your feelings to everyone. Yourself, included.

\+ + +

Jane Peterson was the most recent suicide victim the town you happened to have been crossing through. Things had been slow for you and the boys in search for another hunt. Jane’s smiling face on the front cover of the newspaper caught your attention, and three suicides that happened in the past two weeks. All of us were hiding secrets, some that lead to an early death from guilt or just plain sadness they couldn’t tell anyone. But these rates were too high and unusual for you to look over briefly without peeking your nose into the situation.

You gave Olivia, Jane’s older sister, a sympathetic smile when she walked over to a framed picture of her sister off the wall. She was caught off by surprise when she saw three supposed FBI agents standing on her front porch of the house she once shared with her sister.

“I don’t understand.” Olivia shared her speculation when she crossed the room, heading for the kitchen table to continue this discussion. “Why would Federal investigators be interested in a suicide?”

“Well, um,” You gave her an excuse that sounded good enough to you. Your attention wandered away from her when you noticed Dean was observing the marked up calendar with a cat and several photographs displaying a young woman that seemed happy, showing no signs of wanting to blow her brains out during her shift at work. “It’s a new, more caring administration.”

“I already told the cops. Jane was having a really bad day, so I-I did what any sister would do.” Olivia explained as she took a seat down to repeat her story. She clutched a teddy bear in one hand, the other tucked a piece of loose hair out of her face. “I…tried to cheer her up, you know? Told her to hang in there.”

“You know what a ‘tell’ is?” Sam waited a few seconds for the woman to fall silent, thinking she was safe in the bull crap story she was repeating to the three of you. It might have worked on the idiot cops that wrote this one off as a typical suicide. But the younger Winchester could tell from a simple action that Olivia was lying straight through her teeth. She looked up at him, her face scrunched up in slight confusion. “It’s a poker term…for when you’re bluffing. Like what you just did with your hair.”

“What are you trying to say?” Olivia quietly asked, seeming more scared than defensive. 

“You’re lying.” Sam accused her. Olivia continued to act dumb, you furrowed your brow as you looked over at the younger Winchester, wondering why he was suddenly giving the woman the third degree treatment. He didn’t stop there. A look crossed his face, a predatory type that knew he’d gotten her cornered where he wanted. “Tell us what you did to your sister.”

Olivia suddenly looked like a deer in headlights, not sure what was going on. She looked away from the younger Winchester and to you. “If there’s something you’re not telling us, Olivia, we can take you downtown.” You warned her. “Poke around here and see if you did something to push your poor, innocent sister over the edge. Lying to an officer is obstruction of justice with a charge that could have you facing up to ten years in jail. Do you want that, Olivia?”

“Okay. You’re right. I was lying.” Olivia wasted no second in telling you the truth when she heard all the lies you were telling yourself. It was a bit harsh lead the woman on like this, but it worked. You looked away from her for a moment to see that Dean was standing in the doorway, behind Olivia. He watched the entire situation go down, and no surprise, he seemed rather taken back to see you and his brother, the most empathetic people he knew, being so harsh. “I wanted to tell her ‘I love you. I’m here for you.’ Oh, but what came out was…’You’re a burden. Just kill yourself.’ Who says that?! I-I-I just couldn’t stop! I didn’t mean to say it. It just came out!”

“It’s okay. What you said to Jane was merely the truth. Sometimes people can’t handle it. It can push them over the edge.” You said, reassuring the woman when she broke down in tears. “But it’s what you felt. And, no matter how much it hurt Jane, there was nothing you could do to change your feelings about her.” 

Dean found your words rather…odd. He expected you to look up from the grieving sister and to him, as if it this was your way of attempting him to back off his confession that he made to you the morning after being turned human. But you gave the crying woman a pat on the shoulder, acting like you let her take the confession all her own. He tried not to think much more of it when the three of you split up to search the house, leaving Olivia to collect her thoughts and pack up the rest of her sister’s things. You left a little while later and thanked the woman for her time, she merely gave you a look with her puffy red eyes and face full of guilt.

“See anything in the house?” You asked the boys, shutting the front door behind you as you began walking to the Impala that was parked a few yards down the driveway.

“No hex bags, no sulfur, no EMF.” Dean said, crossing off the typical suspects of monsters right off the list. “What about you?”

“A tuba and an issue of Crochet today.” Sam told you his findings, which made Jane sound like the type of woman who seemed like she didn’t have much to live for in the first place, if you had to be honest. “So, what, already kinda suicidal?”

“Right, and then big sis’s taxicab confession pushes her over the edge.” You added your own speculation to the possible theory working here. But with any sort of lead, it only lead to more information you needed to uncover to figure out what was going on. “Question is, what made big sis open her big, fat mouth in the first place?”

Sam agreed with you on trying to figure out the reason why someone would make such a harsh and unnerving confession. Dean fell behind, choosing to follow behind as you and his brother discussed the matters of the case, showing no signs of remorse yourself like Olivia had done when she broke down in tears at how harsh she’d been to her sister. Sam headed for the passenger’s side of the car and slipped inside, you reached for the backseat door like always and tried to open it. But you stopped when you felt someone’s hand lightly brush your arm. You looked up to see that Dean was standing next to you, wearing a rather perplexed expression.

“What the hell just went on in there?” Dean asked, making sure to keep his voice no higher than a whisper so Sam couldn’t hear the two of you. You furrowed your brow slightly, as if you were confused, or playing dumb from what the older Winchester was about to bring up. “You went a little harsh on the poor woman, don’t you think?”

“You gotta do what you gotta do, right?” You chuckled quietly. You’ve grown immune to Sam’s rather unconventional ways of trying to pry the truth out of people. Dean, however, wouldn’t leave it alone when he stared at the passenger side of the car. You furrowed your brow slightly, knowing damn well Dean had been crawling all over his brother lately. “Yeah, we could’ve handled it better. But we got what we needed, right? So let’s go. We got more work to do.”

You shrugged off the man’s grip around your arm so you could open up the door and slip inside. Dean was left in the driveway for a moment, overcome with all sorts of emotions. The strongest one was suspicion. What of? Many, many different things.

\+ + +

The next day, Dean wasn’t feeling any less comfortable being around his little brother. He kept his distance far as possible from the man while sharing a motel and happily welcomed you to linger around like you always did to do some research with Sam. Dean took it was the perfect opportunity to spy on the both of you without making you grow suspicious yourself. He chose to watch some random show on TV while you and his brother sat at the table with your laptops open, discussing the matters of the case and the history of Jane.

While you talked about Jane’s clean bill of mental health, Dean didn’t watch the newest episode of Dr. Sexy, instead, he observed how his brother’s chair was awfully close to yours. Or how Sam kept his knees just mere inches from you. Maybe it was because the table was small and there wasn’t much room to keep the both of you separate. But red flags were going off in his head when he noticed something rather odd. You’d gotten up from the table to grab a few beers for you and Sam from the fridge. With your back turned, you didn’t have a clue that Dean turned his gaze once more away from the TV screen, only to watch as you moved. He couldn’t help himself but sneak glances every once in awhile. But it seemed he wasn’t the only one.

You were still in your motel room next door, Sam was off this lovely late afternoon after heading out. It left Dean some time to call Bobby and phone in more of suspicions. “Hey,” Dean greeted the older hunter as he walked past the barely touched bed that his brother claimed and looked out the window, checking the parking lot for any sort of sign for the man. “Find anything?”

“I’ve been up all night lookin’. Nothing fits.” Bobby said, giving the older Winchester an update that he was dreading to hear since talking just a day ago. “You got anything else to go on?”

“Yeah, my skin crawls being in the same room with him. Why don’t you look that up?” Dean suggested to the man. He headed for the fridge and took out a beer, needing a drink from all the stress he was putting himself through. “I don’t know how much longer I can do this, Bobby. You got to figure out what the hell he is and fast. I can’t even trust him being around Y/N for more than five freaking seconds.”

“I trying. But, Dean, there’s a worst-case scenario.” Bobby said. Dean quickly jumped back to the Satan theory he was clinging onto with an iron grip. While it sounded nice, the older hunter was starting to believe in another theory. “Well, that’d be the

worst case. Y/N came back with a few emotional scars of her own. Both of them are bound to be different people after spending some time in the cage. But she had a round in Hell to prepare herself for the worst, Sam didn’t. Maybe it’s just…Sam.”

“I gotta go.” Dean said, quickly giving off some excuse to end this conversation. Bobby spoke the man’s name, but the older Winchester wasn’t in the mood to share conspiracy theories. “You got a day, Bobby, and then I’m handling this.”

Dean hung up the phone before he could hear whatever sort of excuse Bobby would give to talk him off the ledge. If Satan happened to have been riding around in his brother’s skin, it would be a hard challenge trying to take him down. But he would be willing to try. Dean soon found himself trailing away from the thoughts of his brother when his phone stared at him in the face, and somehow, he scrolled through his contacts until Lisa’s name was highlighted. He knew it was becoming an obsessive habit of what he was doing. But he did it anyway. He pressed the button and put the phone to his ear. Dean let it ring once before he quickly ended the call. He didn’t know what he was doing anymore.

It was supposed to get easier when the apocalypse was stopped dead in its tracks and Lucifer was sent packing back to Hell. Dean thought it was a blessing to have you and his brother back. He’d gotten things worked out with Lisa. Everything was going so well…how did his life end up here? Lisa was too scared to pick up the phone, Sam was a raging lunatic, and worst of all, you told him those four harsh words. He should have gotten over it. He should have respected your decision to end things. But your excuse was weak.

Last year, you made him believe that you truly did love him. The both of you fought against all odds to be together. And while you had succumbed to a bloody end, you pushed him to Lisa because you thought he could have a true life. Because you thought you were going to see death stick this time. Dean would admit in a heartbeat that he had the time of his life with Lisa, she had a sweet personality and hot as hell. She was understanding and had a son he tried looking over as his own. He enjoyed his quiet, safe life with Lisa. But once he saw you and got a taste for the hunting life, all of it went crumbling down.

Dean remembered the adventures he shared with you, all the long car rides he spent with you with the Impala shamefully covered up in a garage to collect dust. He remembered that his hunting past couldn’t be hidden over with a sheet, it demanded to be brought out in the light. Much as he tried to balance everything, he couldn’t make things work with Lisa like how he did with you back when you weren’t hunting. It didn’t feel right, the risk wasn’t worth it. Lisa was a catch. But she didn’t laugh like you. She didn’t give the kind of hugs that he needed after a rough hunt or ramble on excitably about some new book she bought as her eyes lit up. He kept trying to find something to keep him there, but it all went back to you. Y/N, Y/N, Y/N. 

The older Winchester let out a sigh and pressed his eyes shut. He was trying his hardest to try and respect your decisions. But his mind was playing dirty tricks on him by bringing everything that he suddenly missed out into the open, making this harder than it should be.

“There was another one.” Sam’s voice and the door opening made Dean jump straight out of his personal thoughts. He quickly jumped up from the bed to see you and his brother come into the motel room. Dean pretended to be interested in whatever conversation that was about to unfold here. “Dentist drilled a guy to death.”

“You mean the…non-sexy kind of drilling, right?” Dean’s presumption made you let out a quiet chuckle, showing off a smile that made his heart feel even heavier in his chest than it did before just a few moments ago.

“Fifty bucks says he’s mixed up in all the crazy.” Sam said. “Let’s go talk to him.”

“Why don’t you go ahead, Sammy? Dean and I’ll catch up. We’ll do some research.” You suggested for him to go solo on this one. Sam looked at you a little funny, wondering if you were sure about it. “Yeah. We got to know what we’re against, right? And besides, I’ve been spending all my time with you lately. Dean and I haven’t had a chance to really…talk.”

Sam shrugged his shoulders, seeming to have no problem with this new plan. You watched as he headed for the door and disappeared from sight again, leaving you and his brother alone. You slowly drag your gaze away from the shut door and to the older Winchester. You let him watch as your expression change from calm, into a sudden burst of anger. Your first question to Dean when you got him alone was: “What the hell?”

Dean had the audacity to give you a confused look, not sure why you were jumping straight into an argument. You rolled your eyes and crossed your arms over your chest, Dean outstretched his arms, wondering what he did to have upset you so easily.

“Word of advice, if you want to have a secretive conversation, don’t have it in a motel with paper thin walls and my room next door to yours. I heard the lovely one you had with Bobby about me and Sam. About how you don’t trust him being around me?” You questioned him with an angry tone. Your brow tightened as you waited for him to explain himself or jump to the defense. Instead, you watched as his shoulders slacked and his expression change. It was like his deep secret was now out in the open, like he seemed

you finally brought it up. “What the hell is going on here?”

“I’ve been trying to keep this on the down low so you wouldn’t freak out on me. Bobby and I are having some concerns about Sam, that’s all.“ Dean said, slowly easing the both of you into the conversation that he’d been wanting to have for a while now. You raised your brow as your forehead crinkled, wondering what this was all about. "Sam’s been…different, don’t you think?”

“He went to hell, Dean.” You defended the younger Winchester. “Out of anyone, you know how that should affect someone’s personality. Yeah, sure. He’s not the same, little ray of sunshine like we want him to be. But Sam’s still—”

“Sam’s the reason why I got turned into a vamp. He watched instead of helping me.” Dean cut you off, giving you a confession that sounded a lot like what the new version of Sam would do. He’d been so adamant on trying to get in the mind of the monster, it didn’t surprise you that Sam would use his brother for bait. But you pretended to be shocked, making Dean think what he said was more of an accusation against his little brother than the truth. "There’s something going on with him, Y/N. Something bad…Lucifer bad.”

“You think…Are you trying to tell me I’ve been spending the entire year with Lucifer?” You tried to make sense of what Dean was trying to say. You squinted slightly as you tried not to laugh at his theory, knowing he was dead serious right now. “Okay. Let’s pretend Sam’s being worn by the Devil himself again. Him and I have just been hunting monsters for the past year. Yeah. I mean, he totally doesn’t hate me for what I did to him. He just…let it all out in the cage. Fresh start for the both of us.”

Dean watched as your expression began to change, the mention of the cage made you suddenly look haunted. You swallowed slightly as you were plagued with a few memories that would creep up on you every so often. When you put it that way, his theory did sound a bit strange. But he didn’t know what else to think. The Sam he knew was gone, he was replaced with someone far different. Far worse than he could handle. You suddenly flinched in fright when you felt a hand rest itself on your shoulder. The older Winchester gave you an apologetic stare when he caught you off guard.

“What happened down there, Y/N?” Dean asked, needing some sort of explanation from you or Sam that explained the lack of empathy his brother had been showing lately.

"What do you think? It was two against two. But Lucifer and Michael had the upper hand. Had a lot problems they needed to work out. After Sam and I got out, we just…shut that part away. Felt it was easier than to talk about it.” You admitted him the truth, but only a tiny sliver that barely made a dent in what you wanted to tell him. But you didn’t want to go down that path right now, afraid of what might happen. “Look, I don’t know why Sam has been weird lately. But he wouldn’t do anything to hurt you or me.”

"I’m not so sure about that, sweetheart.” Dean warned you. “I know what I saw.”

“Please. You also think I’m sleeping with Sam being your back.” You said, your voice growing harder. “Be careful with the accusations you’re throwing around.”

“You said it, not me.” Dean defended himself against you. “It’s not my fault you two have grown creepily closer than normal.”

“What did you expect? It was just me and him for that year. You had Lisa, a cushioned life. What we went through…it’s something that brought us closer together. Sam was the only one who I could confide in this kind of stuff.” You said, defending the younger Winchester. The look on Dean’s face showed you that he still clung to his opinion. You let out a quiet sigh as you began to softly rub your eyes, suddenly feeling overwhelmed with what you were hearing. You knew for a fact Lucifer wasn’t walking around in Sam’s skin. But you knew right now wasn’t the best time “Look…can we just focus on the case? Save this discussion for another time?”

Dean agreed with your suggestion. You let out a sigh of relief, deciding that maybe research would have been better for him to handle, and without much surprise, you weaseled your way back to Sam. You left Dean standing in the middle of the motel, feeling worse off than he did. He could feel his skin slowly crawling off the idea alone of you being anywhere near his baby brother, the one who had nearly got him killed for some better input about how a monster’s mind worked. He had a feeling that Sam was up to no good. But there was one pesky thing standing in Dean’s way of getting to the bottom of this—cold, hard truth.

\+ + +

Dean was doing exactly what he promised; he was sitting at the table with his laptop wide open. He was doing research…just not the kind you thought he’d be doing after you left after you decided to go help Sam. Surprise, surprise. He tried to wrack his brain for any sort of proper explanation to what the hell was going on here. The sites he pulled up were all about monsters that could mimic another human being. Right down to the exact memory from a random date Dean would sometimes pull out from thin air to see if the man sitting next to him in the passenger side of the Impala was really his flesh and blood. 

He could all the tested he wanted, ask Sam all the most random questions about their childhood. And the man would pass it each time. But, still, Dean couldn’t shake this eerie feeling that something was off about Sam.

The older Winchester could cross off shapeshifter off his list of suspects after the tests he forced you and Sam repeat the same drill of a pure silver knife across the skin a few hours after he came to terms that the both of you were alive. And a demon was out of the question when Dean doused the both of you in holy water and forced you to walk across a salted doorway. Again, the feeling kept nagging at him, begging for his attention. He kept hope that the Devil himself could be blamed for all this nonsense that was going on. It felt so much easier to shift the blame to him and think his dorky, sensitive little brother was still in there.

It was so much easier to believe that something else was causing Sam to act the polar opposite of what he used to be. And it explained how you and Sam magically got freed from hell. Because whatever came back sure wasn’t how he remembered his little brother, the one who was supposed to have his back.

Dean was scrolling through some information that would have been viable for the case when he was pulled away for a moment from the ringing of his phone. He looked down at the caller I.D. to see that it was your name. Inhaling a deep breath, he hit the send button, answering it like any normal conversation. “Anything from marathon man?”

“Not exactly. He hung himself in his cell before Sam and I could get to him.” You gave him a bit of an unfortunate update on how things were going. It seemed that shoving a drill into his patient’s mouth was too much guilt for him to handle. But his victim wasn’t all that innocent. “But he was definitely involved. We just got the scoop from his assistant. Let’s just say the stuff that his patient was confessing to—I’d have done way more than murder him.”

“So, root canal and Russian roulette—both of ‘em, it’s like they were cursed, right?” Dean speculated of what might be going on here. “I mean, people are just compelled to puke the truth all over ‘em?”

“Oh, getting hit with the ugly truth, you go postal? I’d call that a curse.” You muttered underneath your breath, Dean heard you scoffed quietly underneath your breath. “Do me a favor—Sam and I are going to the morgue to check out the body. Do you mind swinging by the dentist’s office see what you see? Pretty please?”

“Since you asked so nicely.” Dean agreed with the plan. You thanked him for the extra help and quickly ended the call. He decided that maybe it wouldn’t hurt to get out of the motel room and stretch his legs for an hour. The older Winchester skimmed the final paragraph about doppelgangers before he shut his laptop and pushed himself to his feet, deciding to get on that task before coming straight back to his research. “Only for you, sweetheart.”

\+ + +

Some people were afraid of planes and clowns, others were terrified of your friendly neighborhood dentist. What started out as a normal root canal turned into a complete bloodbath. Dean stepped inside the examination room to see there was blood…everywhere. On the chair that once laid his patient, on the walls, and on the TV that was still playing the local news. Dean paid attention to the news broadcast for a split second before doing exactly what he was here for, to look for just about anything that would explain why the dentist’s patient, who also happened to be a good friend, would confess about getting the hots for his underage daughter. Dean got creeped out just thinking about it. Sometimes he couldn’t feel sorry for the sucker. He got what he deserved.

A quick search of the office made a possible connection come up. It was a strange one, but it was the only one he had going for him. The power of music, bringing people together and learning the harsh truth about what people thought about them and the people they loved. Dean took a trip to “Harry’s House of Horns” to have a talk with the owner when the victims had stopped here, making it the only connection he really had to go on. But his trip ended up not being a wasted effort. The owner, Harry, mentioned his rare and one-of a-kind-horn…his missing one, that was. It was a museum artifact that was nearly a thousand years old, maybe more. And it so happened to have went missing two weeks ago, right around the time Jane decided to kill herself after getting the honest truth from big sis.

It took a quick search of biblical horns into the search bar for Dean to come up with a possible theory, Gabriel’s horn of truth. His theory about this being the reason why were puking up their own feelings was by how the object look a lot like the one Harry, the shop owner, said was stolen from a few weeks prior to the suicides. Dean headed back to the motel to do some digging to figure out what was going on here. He read up on some information and began to wonder if he was feeling a bit of deja vu from a case he took a few weeks prior. That smug little son of a bitch, Balthazar, was probably having some fun and selling nukes to unsuspecting morons. So, Dean did what any hunter with ties to angels would do, he did his daily prayers, hoping someone was listening.

You could say his prayers were answered. After spending days talking to himself like a moron, the big man himself finally graced Dean with his presence. But it was all for nothing. Cas burst the older Winchester’s theory of a possible missing weapon when he scoured the entire earth, in the matter of a single second, only to tell the hunter that wasn’t what was happening in this town. While Dean got his angel buddy around for more than three seconds, he tested his luck by pressing Cas about Sam again, hoping his fears were true. But, like what Bobby had suspected, they were nothing more than a paranoid thought of Dean’s. Cas and his siblings would have known if Lucifer decided to skip the cage. It was all about an unhealthy connection these days.

Still, it wasn’t helpful for Dean to stop feeling like a paranoid man. He needed something to explain what was going on with his brother. Dean couldn’t stomach the thought that Sam was going to be like this forever—a reckless idiot who didn’t bat an eye when the people around him were hurt. Or even cared about making moves on the woman Dean still loved when he made a bit of a confession when discussing the possibility Lisa and him were done for good. Maybe Sam always had a little bit of a crush on you. He couldn’t blame the man. But even if so, there was a time when Sam understood what boundaries were.

As hunters, three people who spent practically every second on top of one another’s, riding around in the same car for hours, there really wasn’t such thing as boundaries. But what Dean was talking about had to more about what was right, and what was just plain wrong. There was plenty of times Sam accidentally caught you changing or had to check in injury after a nasty hunt. Both of you acted like brother and sister. He might have laughed if Dean asked him if he happened to think you were good looking. Now, he shrugged his shoulders, leaving it open for interpretation, making Dean wonder what the two of you did behind closed doors.

If Dean had to be completely honest, it bothered the hell out of him to think you and his brother might have gotten closer over the past year. But it came out of the circumstances you put yourself in. You stayed away from him because you thought it was the right thing to do to keep him safe. Dean tried to do the exact same thing with Lisa. Both of you were lost and scared, clinging onto something that made you feel one another safe when you didn’t have old habits to fall back on.

Maybe you were truly and completely over him once and for all. And here Dean sat with egg on his face. Only…you kept denying it to him. The man was a lot of things, but he wasn’t an idiot.

Like he didn’t notice the sneaky behavior between you and Sam. The remarks muttered underneath one’s breath or lingering stares that were on more than just faces. The freaking phone call. The both of you should have known better than to try and play him like a fool. He was the master of sneaking around and hiding secrets behind people’s backs. He knew something was going on. The only thing that made Dean mad was the fact that you were treating him like an idiot in this situation.

He would have to be honest with himself here. If all of his thinking had turned out to be true—if you were really in some sort of secretive relationship with Sam—it would feel as if you ripped his heart out of his chest and stomped on it. And dumped a good amount of salt in his chest cavity for the fun of it. Maybe that was a bit over dramatic. But it was what he felt. Dean knew, in time, that he’d get over it. He tried to be happy that you and his brother were out from the cage with no carry on. Lucifer was still locked up where he should have been, you were human for once in your entire life and Cas promised to keep his ears out for anything about Sam. For the first time he was seeing some actual progress. But the only thought he could comprehend was that he needed a drink. Or five.

Dean found a little bar with barely anybody in it besides for a woman tending behind the bar, a busboy clearing off tables after a late lunch rush and a pretty girl sitting behind him nursing some fruity cocktail from the looks of it. He kept himself occupied by ordering a round of whiskey neat, the way he normally liked it and watched some hard hitting journalism. Dean threw his head back and downed the drink in one gulp, feeling the familiar warm burning sensation run through his body before it slowly disappeared.

“Another one?” Dean’s attention lingered away from his empty shot glass when the bartender pointed her finger at the drink, wondering if he wanted a refill. While it was tempting, Dean knew he had some actual research to do back at the motel. And it would require a sober mind.

“Uh, no, thanks. I’m working.” Dean declined the kind offer with a small smile. She nodded her head and tended to her clean glasses that needed drying but stayed close just in case. Dean’s cell phone went off a few moments later, and to his delight, it was you again. “Hey, what’s up?”

“All the bodies are gone.” You greeted him with an update, one that didn’t sound so good.

“What do you mean,” Dean wondered. He looked to see the bartender was stacking up some shot glasses right across from him. She’d gotten the impression that the conversation he was about to have wouldn’t be raising any red flags. “They just vanished?”

“That’s what the coroner said. But we got a lead. One of the missing bodies, she died a whole week before everybody else.” You explained to him. Dean guessed that the cause of death was by suicide, however, it seemed a little less gruesome than he expected like the rest. “Reported as a car accident, but no reason it couldn’t have been.”

“So then that would make her a patient zero, right?” He suspected.

“I’m thinking maybe. Whatever got this whole curse thing rolling started with her. Sam and I are at her place now, corner of Burnham and 159th.” You said, giving him the address so all of you could meet up again to investigate this yourselves.

“Yeah, give me ten.” Dean said. You agreed with the plan before hanging up the phone, leaving him to contemplate of cutting the fun so short. He shoved his phone back into his pocket and looked at the bartender. “You know what? I will have that other one.”

“I thought you were working.” She said, giving him a playful smile.

“I am working up to it.” Dean chuckled. But he wasn’t finding the situation he found himself in the least bit funny. The bartender grabbed the bottle from underneath and poured him another drink. She gave him a curious look, wondering if everything was okay. “No, not really. Relationship problems. Work’s getting…complicated.”

“Don’t I know a thing or two about that. And this one’s on me.” The bartender got him this round out empathy for the man from the struggles he was slowly admitting to. “Anything else I can get you?”

Dean’s lips twitched slightly from her hospitality, knowing exactly what he wanted, but she couldn’t possibly help him with this. “I’d just like the freaking truth.” He whispered. It was just wishful thinking for him to be the lucky one and get something honest without having to work so hard for it. But he didn’t think anything really of it. Dean downed the shot in one swallow and let out a breath. He looked up at the bartender and raised his glass with a smile, “But I’ll settle for another one.” 

“Sometimes I think I can’t get pregnant ‘cause God knows my marriage is a sham.” The bartender must have heard all sort of stories from drunk people. You get enough liquor in someone and they just start spewing everything they ever did wrong with their lives. All their dirty secrets were open in the open. Sometimes it was easy to talk to a stranger. Dean gave the woman a shrug when she suddenly looked confused at why she just admitted something like that to him. “I mean, I’ve been snorting oxy all day…Wait. Why’d I say that?”

What she was admitting wasn’t some secret she might spill out to a close friend when everything got too hard to keep inside. And she sure wouldn’t admit doing drugs in front of her customer. Dean slowly looked down at his empty glass, recollecting the cursed words that came out from his mouth. “I’m pretty sure I know.”

Dean needed to get out of here before he could hear another one of the woman’s secrets. He thanked her for her service and threw a twenty on the bar top, thinking it would cover the drinks and leave her with a hefty tip. On the way to the door, he passed the pretty woman, and while he would have given her a second look over any other day, today he couldn’t be bothered. That didn’t mean she stopped herself from leaning forward to take another sip of her drink and flashed him a flirty smile, show off what God didn’t give her.

“I’m sitting like this so you’ll look at my breasts.” The girl spoke up, making Dean stop dead in his tracks to look at her. She crossed her arms tighter and leaned over the table more to show off her purchase that was well worth the money. “I just bought them. I need a lot of attention.”

“Good luck with that.” Dean said, thinking the conversation was going to be done after that. He should have been heading forward to the exit, but, instead, he found himself retracting in his steps. It would be awfully rude of him to ignore such a sight. He gave her a charming smile as his eyes wandered to her chest for a split second, enjoying the sight of a woman’s body. She let out a giggle and quickly looked away in embarrassment. Dean parted ways with her, giving her a wink and headed out the door. He pulled out his phone and called Bobby, deciding to have a little fun. “Hey, anything you’re itchin’ to tell me?”

“Not, really.” Bobby said, presuming this call was only about wanting an update on his progress in finding out what was wrong with the younger Winchester. “Sorry to disappoint.”

“Ah, that’s all right.” Dean mumbled. “I’m just testing a theory.”

“Well, I’m here hittin’ the books while drinking a nice glass of milk and watching ‘Tor and Dean.’” Bobby said. Dean became confused at what the man just admitted to, making him ask who the older hunter was watching again, just to be sure what he heard was right. “Tori Spelling. I’m a huge fan. Girl’s a real talent.”

“Oh, I guess it does work over the phone.” Dean noted to himself as he approached the Impala.

“You know what else? I get a pedicure once in awhile—this little Vietnamese joint.” Bobby didn’t seem to realize what kind of information he was spilling. Dean didn’t care about the crush on the washed up actress from the nineties. But what he was hearing was going to leave a mental scar no amount of alcohol in the world could make disappear. “This one gal—Nhung Phuong—her name means ‘velvet phoenix.’ Tiny thing, but the grip on her. She starts on my toes, and I feel like I’m gonna—”

“Whoa, whoa! Hey, come on, m—now I’m scarred for life.” Dean said. The image of Bobby alone getting his feet rubbed by a small woman was terrifying enough. Now it was complimented by things nobody should think about. “Thank you.”

“I never told anyone that. Why am I telling you?” Bobby asked, slowly realizing that he was spilling all sorts of private information that nobody knew of the intimidating hunter. Before the man could speculate anymore with his questions, the man found himself spilling a few more secrets. “Maybe ‘cause you’re my favorite. Well, second favorite now that I really got to know Y/N. She puts the two of you knuckleheads to shame. You should be more like her. Although, Sam’s a better hunter than all of you. Lately anyway…Whoa. Why the hell am I telling you this?!”

“Because I’m cursed.” Dean explained to the man.

“Cursed?” Bobby repeated what he just heard. He lingered on the word for a moment, trying to figure out what kind of trouble the older Winchester landed himself in. It’d barely been a week since he got turned back into a human being. And here he was, jumping onto another problem he was going to have to help solve this time. “How is it that half the time you clean a mess, you end up dirty?”

Dean realized that he might not be cursed after all. He could get anyone he wanted to tell the truth straight to his face, their deepest secrets revealed. His lips stretched into a smirk when he began to think with a little more of a positive outlook. “Actually,” Dean mumbled. “This might be the best thing that’s happened to me in a while.”

“What do you mean? Dean…Dean, what damn fool move are you about to—” Bobby was slowly becoming suspicious of what the older Winchester was brewing inside that head of his. Dean didn’t reveal anything when he cut the man off, saying he needed to go. The hunter let out a sigh and agreed, only needing to get one more thing off his chest. “Okay. But did you know my first girlfriend turned out to be a—”

“No, no.” Dean quickly ended the call before things turned into a level of disturbance that would need actual therapy to get over it. He sat himself into the driver’s side of the car and stared at his phone for a few seconds. He shifted his lips left and right, contemplating for a moment if he really wanted to do this. It was an invasion of privacy. It was the wrong thing to do. But so was lying. Dean punched in your number and heard it go to voicemail a few rings later. “Y/N, it’s me. Listen, I’m on my way to you and Sam, but if you get this before then, give me a call back. There’s a few things I want to ask you two.”

\+ + +

Hearing the truth from people that you loved could have brought a few people to the brink of suicide, but Dean wasn’t that fragile. He was called every name in the book and knew his life was complete and utter crap, he didn’t care if someone admitted they didn’t like him or thought he was a complete screw up. That was fine. Because whatever he heard, there was a pretty good chance he thought about it himself at one point in his life.

Sometimes it was better to pretend the people around him were good people and they loved him. They would never do anything to hurt him. But that wasn’t true. Dean’s hunch made him realize that after the last vampire hunt, there was nothing good in his brother. Anything that came out of his mouth was a damn lie. He was acting more sneaky than the time he was hopped up on demon blood and running around with Ruby, the junkie whore. Dean just wanted the truth, he was so sick and tired of being lied to by the people that he was supposed to trust with his entire life.

He made it around to the location that you gave him a little after he promised of being here, but you weren’t in sight. Dean got himself out of the Impala and began to head inside, but the sound of his phone going off made him stop. He took out his phone and looked at the name, the one he’d been trying to get ahold of for the last week. He could feel his chest tighten up as he didn’t waste a second in answering the phone, pretending like he hadn’t been calling her nonstop for the past week.

“So…I saw you called.” Lisa’s voice was calm. But Dean knew by the tone that she was trying to keep it together to have a nice, civilized conversation with the man she had opened herself up to.

“Yeah, it’s been crazy.” Dean circled around the car, hesitantly keeping this conversation going, knowing it’d be a matter of time until she brought up the elephant squished between the both of them. What he put himself into was nothing like he ever dealt with before. His consequences of that night had had stemmed far more than just leaving a scared Lisa. He hurt her son, and as the result, he had one pissed off mother to give him hell.

“Ben won’t even talk about it.” Lisa told him what she’d been dealing with since he left that night. Dean absentmindedly wandered around until he was sitting on the hood, making himself sweat even more from the warmth of the engine that was running just a few moments ago.

“Lisa, I’m sorry, but this is actually the…worst time in the universe to talk.” Dean said. He knew he sounded like a dick, but he was hoping that he could move this very important conversation when he didn’t have the ability to hear what sort of truths they were keeping. Because he knew Lisa had her own demons. Especially after how he left them. “Can we do this later?”

“You shoved my kid, Dean.” Lisa told him with an icy tone. “How about we do this now?”

Dean let out a quiet sigh, “It wasn’t like that.”

“Then how was it?” Lisa questioned him, wanting to hear his side of the story…the truth.

“I can’t really explain.” Dean admitted to her. Even though he wanted to tell her everything about that night, about how he got turned, he knew it would do more damage than good. The line on the other went silent for a few seconds. When Lisa spoke again, he heard her voice break, like she was trying to not let herself cry. But she wasn’t the least bit sad. She was pissed.

“You want to know the truth?” Lisa asked him. Dean knew it was a matter of time until it came out. He could have ended the call here and forget about her forever, but that wasn’t the right thing to do to someone you spent an entire year with. So, he embraced himself for the worst of what was to come. “You’ve got so much buried in there, and you push it down, and you push it down. Do you honestly think that you can go through life and not freak out? Just, what, drink half a fifth a night and you’re good?”

“Hey,” Dean defended himself against her. “You knew what you signed up for.”

“Yeah. But I didn’t expect Y/N to come back. And I’m glad she’s okay. I am. But the minute she walked through that door, I knew. It was over between us.” Lisa admitted everything she’d been keeping bottled up for months. Dean could feel his heart beat faster. “I tried, Dean. But you barely made an effort to move on from her. Do you know what it feels like to be second best? To know that I wasn’t the first thing you thought of and the last thing at night? All I was asking was for you to slowly open yourself up to me. I did for you. You couldn’t. Except for Y/N, probably. Hell, you would do just about anything for her, huh? You two have the most unhealthy, tangled-up, crazy relationship I’ve ever seen. Honestly, it’s disturbing.”

“Lisa,” Dean tried to explain himself, “I’m—”

“Don’t you dare cut me off. I’ve spent too long biting my tongue. Shut up and let me finish.” Lisa cut the man off, not wanting to hear a single excuse out of the man’s mouth. “I tried, Dean. I did just about everything to make you open up to me. But you didn’t even budge, you didn’t even try to let go of the past. For God’s sake, you kept a picture of her underneath the pillow! How is that healthy? You wanted so desperately to be happy. You wanted to let go of the past. But here you are. Going after someone that only destroys you. As long as Y/N’s in your life, you’re never gonna get what you really want. I know you still love her, and I’m sure she loves you back. But… she’s going to keep sending you down the wrong path that’s paved with nothing but misery.”

Dean was prepared for just about anything to come out of Lisa’s mouth. He expected her to call him a monster, an alcoholic who didn’t know how to love anyone. Not even himself. He could understand if she harbored some unwell feelings about you out jealousy. But not to this degree. And even what came out of Lisa’s mouth took her by surprise. She inhaled a deep breath as she fell silent for a moment. “That came out way more harsher than I meant.” 

“It’s not your fault.” Dean said, his voice was barely louder than a whisper.

“I’m not saying don’t be close to Y/N. I know the both of you are practically like family. I’m close to my sister, and I even have some exes of mine who are good friends.” Lisa said. “But if she or one of them got killed, I wouldn’t bring them back from the dead! I’d move on like a normal human being.” 

“Okay, Lis…” Dean cut the woman off, he couldn’t stomach whatever else that might come out of her mouth if given the chance. “I’m not gonna lie. Okay, me and Y/N, we…we’ve got a complicated relationship. No doubt. But you and Ben—”

“Me and Ben can’t be in this with you.” Lisa muttered the words that the both of them knew were coming. But it still felt like a punch to the gut, even with her weak apology. “I’m sorry.”

Dean had a feeling their relationship was headed for the rocks. He would have been simply happy with the both of them agreeing to end it before it could get worse. But it was too late now. The one chance at his little moment of normalcy was gone. Just like that. Dean was now alone. He swallowed down his emotions and slipped his phone into his pocket. Sometimes you want something really badly, like to know what someone really thinks of you. They say be careful what you wish for. And not everyone can handle the truth.

“Hey, saw you from the upstairs window.” Dean looked up from the pavement when he heard your voice ring in his ears. He could feel his mood suddenly shift into slight panic when he saw you coming his way. Your lips stretched into a smile and approached the Impala. But when you began to examine his facial expression, you slowly looked concerned. “Are you okay?” 

Dean let out a heavy sigh as a chuckled came out at the same time, “Define okay.” 

“Being away from Sam. God, he can get so emotionally draining sometimes.” You found yourself being lured into the curse without realizing it. Dean watched as you rubbed your eyes and let out a heavy sigh of your own. Only when you realized what came out of your mouth, you slowly furrowed your brow, as if you were silently wondering why you said such a thing. But it happened just a few seconds later. “Not that you’re any better.”

“Where is Sam?” Dean asked you, suddenly he didn’t want for you to be the one who broke the news to him. He would hate himself for ruining something. You pointed over your shoulder to the building, saying something about how he was taking a peek around the dead girl’s room after grilling her roommate’s friend a little too harshly. He nodded his head and tossed you the keys, leaving you to get yourself comfortable in the Impala. Dean didn’t waste a second running inside and heading up the staircase, only to find his brother coming down. His brother held up what appeared to be a small jewelry box, eager to show him what was inside. But Dean didn’t really care about that. “We got to talk.” 

“Yeah.” Sam agreed. “What’s up?”

“There’s a few things I want to ask you, and you’re gonna tell me the truth.” Dean told his little brother as he followed him down the staircase and into the empty hallway. 

“Uh, yeah, Dean. Of course. What are you talking about…” Sam absentmindedly rambled on about whatever sort of questions his brother had, but when he realized what was going on here, he stopped in his tracks. “Whoa. Are you saying you’re…” 

“I asked for the truth. And you know what? I’m getting it. So, like I said, I have a few questions for you.” Dean said. Sam quietly scoffed underneath his breath, but it’d be a matter of time until the smug little expression on his face changed. Dean decided to start off with the most important question of all. “When that vamp attacked me, why did you just stand there?”

Sam let out a quiet sigh. He suddenly fell silent, not a single word came out of his mouth, like he was trying to keep himself from telling the truth like Dean wanted. Or he was composing the right emotions to keep the con going. “I-I didn’t.” Sam slowly admitted his fault. “I froze.” 

“You froze.” Dean repeated his brother’s answer. “You have been terminator since you got back.” 

“I don’t know. Shock?” Sam let out a heavy sigh. He was acting guilty here, say all the right words to prove that he was telling the truth. But there was no emotion behind it. Nothing. “And then it was too late. I feel terrible about it. Believe me. Dean…I can’t lie here.”

“Okay. How about you answer another question of mine. It’s been bugging me for a while now. And I need to know.” Dean said, deciding there was no going back now. What had been really bugging him all this time. He swallowed, preparing himself for whatever sort of response he was going to get. It didn’t matter what it was. As long as it was the truth. “When you and Y/N were hunting together, alone…did you…Did you sleep with her?”

“In the same bed? Once or twice.” Sam admitted, taking his brother’s question in the wrong direction. “It was uncomfortable as hell.”

“That’s not what I meant.” Dean cut off his little brother, his voice growing harder with irritation from how this conversation was going. He let out a sigh and composed himself to say the exact question that he needed answered. For the sake of his sanity. “Did you…Did you have sex with Y/N behind my back?”

A normal reaction for a sibling to be accused of sleeping with an ex girlfriend, the mutual best friend of both parties, could have been handled a few different ways. But Sam was under some kind of supernatural oath. He

to tell the truth. Dean waited for the young man to say something. Give him those puppy dog eyes and look nothing but guilty. In a twist, the end of Sam’s lips twitched into a smirk, the same way when he watched Dean get turned. 

“You think…Is this what’s been bothering you? You think I’d ruin my friendship with Y/N for a quick hookup? No, of course not. She’s like my sister. Just the thought creeps me out.” Sam was more surprised at the accusation as he let out a chuckle, playing along. “Dude, I would never do something like that. I know how much she still means to you. I mean, you’re my brother. I’d never put your life in danger. And I wouldn’t dare overstep my boundaries with Y/N—”

“Okay. Okay. Sorry. I…I thought—I thought I saw something. I…I guess I was wrong.” Dean said, apologizing for his accusations. He felt nothing but overwhelmed at his findings. He reached up a hand to rub his forehead when a dull pain began to settle in his head for what was going on here. “It’s just been a really, really bad day.”

“Hey. It’s okay.” Sam reassured his brother as he reached out and slapped him on his shoulder, giving it a squeeze for an added effect. “I got your back, all right? I always have.”

Dean nodded his head slowly. He watched as his brother gave him a smile before heading off again. The older Winchester had the ability to get anyone to speak their deepest, darkest secrets. Or whatever they wanted to know. And Sam had told it to him. Maybe his brother really did freeze up back there, maybe it was all in his head. Maybe his mind had been playing tricks on him all this time, making him believe in all these lies to convince himself of the reason why you fell out of love with him. Maybe there was no reason at all. Perhaps you had really moved on from him and you didn’t need the comfort of someone else to help mend the pain. And Sam was back from the dead with his new personality. Maybe that was the horrifying truth that Dean needed to realize.

\+ + +

If you thought this day couldn’t get any worse, it sure could. Sam learned early on about his brother’s new special ability of getting people to tell the truth when he was cornered in the hallway of the victim’s apartment complex. He was suddenly being interrogated with a few questions that would have made the hairs on your neck stand up on edge. You sat in the backseat of the Impala and patiently waited for the boys, clueless for what was about to come.

When the boys emerged out from the building and took their rightful spots in the car, that’s when the first bit of truth spilled out from your mouth. It started out innocent enough when Dean, who looked to be riddled with all sorts of different emotions, decided to fill the slowly rising awkward tension with turning on some music. Which was the cassette tape you had been forced to listen again and again for the past five grueling years. Most of the time you didn’t complain, but for some reason today, you acted like you were being tortured.

“Do you have anything else we could possibly listen to? I feel like if I have to listen to this song again I’m going to jab knives into my ears.” You didn’t know why, but the truth that had crossed your mind a few times suddenly stumbled out of your mouth. But it was soon followed by another one when Dean decided to go straight through a yellow light that quickly turned red a few seconds later. “You know, I’m surprised you haven’t gotten us killed yet with your terrible driving skills. I…I sound like a jerk. Why am I saying this?”

"Because Dean’s cursed.” Sam said, giving you the news of what happened while you and him were gone. Your facial features changed as the color in your face seemed to drain away. “Dean asked for the truth. And he’s getting it. We better be careful what we say around him. We wouldn’t want him to jump off the deep end, now would we?”

Dean asked for the truth out of frustration from the lack that he was getting from the people around him. And now he was cursed to get it from everyone who looked in his direction. Luckily for the three of you, the things coming out of your mouth weren’t the least bit harmful when you got back from the motel and locked yourself in your room for the duration of the afternoon. You were harboring a few secrets of yours that nobody should know. If Dean found out, you had a feeling it would result in more than just his heart being crushed.

You decided the best form of contact would be over the phone and staying away from him far as possible. Even though it worked over the phone just as well, if you felt yourself about to spill a deep secret, you could hang up the phone before he could hear it.

“So this was the chick’s pet?” Dean must have found the cat skull that once belonged to her cat Mittens, who the girl’s roommate thought had ran away. Little did she realize her friend must have killed the poor cat for its skull to conduct a ritual.

“Well, she was obsessed.” You said. You had your laptop propped open on the table and a few browsers on some sites that could explain what was going on here. “All right, so Sam found a cat skull, grains-of-paradise seeds, devil’s shoestring. Mix ‘em well, and you got yourself a nifty summoning spell.”

“Demon?” The older Winchester presumed.

“I wish it was that easy. But, no. God. Corey was so desperate for the truth about her boyfriend’s cheating heart, she went digging around. Nothing panned out, so she went looking for a different kind of help.” You explained to the boys. You wondered why she couldn’t have just broke up with the guy if she thought he was cheating on her. It sure would have saved the three of you a lot of time. And stopped almost half a dozen people from dying. “Now anyone in town who asks aloud for the truth invokes Veritas. And she doesn’t just give it to you. She slams it with you until you kill yourself and she gets her tribute.”

“So, all that ‘tribute’ vanishing from the morgue. What do you think, uh, soylent-green situation?” Dean presumed the worst about what was going on around here.

“Gods got to eat, too.” Sam said. “Which means we got to take her out or Dean’s on the menu.”

“All right, well, what do we know, besides crazy cat lady?” Dean asked.

“Well, dogs are her achilles heel. And she was a pretty hands-on goddess back in the day. Her thing was coming down from the mountain to speak truth to the masses.” You said, giving all sorts of information that you gathered over the past few hours. “She wanted more than tribute. She wanted to be worshipped.”

“An attention whore.” Dean muttered. The remark took you a bit by surprise, but you presumed he was probably right from how this goddess liked to have all the attention on her. “And what is the twenty first-century version of speaking truth to the masses?”

Dean had an idea of who it might be. She was more than just the girl who pretended to be your best friend, telling you the blunt truth of how things really were. About how people really viewed you and spilling deep secrets that would make you go insane. That role was too small. She wanted something bigger, better She wanted to be someone that everyone would trust. A friendly face you would tune into every evening to hear nothing but the truth.

\+ + +

Dean possible theory lead you down the path to an investigative journalist with the not so subtle name of Ashley Frank and her hit news segment, “Frank Talk.” While it made you roll your eyes when you heard it, the horrible name for her show was the least of your problems. The real challenge came your way when the three of you had an infinite amount of hours of unaired footage you had to look over.Mostly all the footage you and the boys were subjected into watching was just outtakes of her introducing her show for commercials and whatnot, nothing screamed pagan god who liked to munch on her victims’.

Her segments were mostly about first world problems about knowing if the organic produce you got from the grocery store was really worth the cost. Stupid things that normal people wanted to hear about. Not the hard hitting news about the world around them they chose to stay oblivious to. Hours of raw footage later, the sun was already up, signaling another day. You managed to catch a break when you offered to get some coffee to keep all of you awake. When you arrived back with some donuts and coffee, there seemed to have been no change of progress.

“She’s creepy. I mean, the hair alone.” Dean remarked with a mouthful of food. You looked away from the laptop screen and looked at the man occupying the front of the bed you were sitting on. You kept yourself silent most of the morning by munching on the food and coffee you bought after Sam didn’t want any. And it was your best bet of making whatever came out of your mouth nothing but a muffled noise. You looked back over to see the woman was getting her makeup touched up and her tight updo was perfect. "I don’t know, guys. Maybe there’s nothing here.”

Maybe there was, maybe there wasn’t. Another several more hours of watching tedious takes and one pizza later, you had gotten the break that you were looking for. Ashley Frank took her news segment out of her studio when she went to a suburban neighborhood to interview people about the town council. What really caught your attention was caught by a doberman pinscher who popped into frame to ruin her take. You furrowed your brow slightly when the dog jumped up to stand on his hind legs and start barking his head off when he caught sight of her. Most people would have brushed it off as nothing or wait until the dog calmed down. But her reaction seemed out of the ordinary.

“Hold on. Did you see that?” You asked, wondering if Sam happened to spot the same thing you had just a few seconds ago. He nodded his head and reached out an arm to drag the chair holding the laptop closer to the both of you to get a better inspection of what you just saw. “Hey, Dean. You might want to come and take a look at this.”

The older Winchester took another bite of his pizza that he was eating before dropping it back down into the box and heading over to see what you stumbled upon. Sam rewinded the video by a few seconds to replay the take for his brother. Dean inspected the clip for himself before he found something suspicious. His brother zoomed in on the woman’s face when she looked over her shoulder to glare at the barking dog that ruined her shot. But there was something much more hiding behind the icy cold stare. It was how her eyes turned into a different shade, almost like they glowed, when she was forced to come into contact with something she didn’t like.

\+ + +

You had a hunch this Ashley Frank was more than just a successful news anchor who seemed to have popped out of thin air. She’d been living a rather cushioned life with her job and endless supply of humans to much on when the cameras weren’t rolling after being summoned just a few weeks ago by the first victim who started all of this. You and the boys followed her home after she wrapped up another day of shooting, which would be her last after tonight. She might have been a nasty pagan god, but she had style.

She owned a classic red convertible and made sure her famous updo was safely secured with a silk scarf she wrapped up. She drove to her enormous, and rather modern looking home. Dean made sure to park a safe distance away so she wouldn’t know three hunters were behind her.

“Looks pretty normal, right?” You asked, suspecting she might have done her dining elsewhere to keep herself inconspicuous to the humans she was surrounding herself with.

“I’m sure inside it’s chock full of creep.” Dean muttered. On the outside it might look like a house that would grace the cover of an interior magazine, but there was always secrets pagans liked to hide. Ashley stepped inside her house and turned on the lights, giving you a sight to watch her walk up her staircase and disappeared from sight. She would never suspect you coming. Dean pulled out three knifes that all of you would need. “Ready?”

“Yeah.” Sam said. He opened up a paper bag that had been sitting inside his lap during the duration of the ride and pulled out a mason jar full of a crimson red substance. You stared at the jar for a moment, slightly fearful to hear the answer when you asked him what exactly what that was. “Dog’s blood.”

“Poor Lassie.” You muttered underneath your breath. You shuddered slightly in disgust when the younger Winchester twisted off the top, showing no signs of disturbance from what you were about to do. “Do I even want to know where you got that from, Sammy?”

Sam shrugged his shoulders, deciding it would be best to let the answer remain a mystery. You regretfully dipped the blade of your knife into the blood, making sure it was covered enough for this to work if you were gonna go after this pagan god. You’d done a lot of disgusting things in your time of hunting. Yet, this was an ultimate low for you when it came to hurting a harmless animal to take down the monster of the week. But if it kept you from spilling the truth, you would have to look the other way and pretend the blade was covered in something else.

You and the boys headed inside when you were sure that Ashley had disappeared into the top level of her house, probably unwinding from a long day of playing human. When the three of you stepped inside, things weren’t exactly how you expected them to be. The interior of the place was less Dr. Doom and a little more successful business woman with good taste. The interior of the place was modern, and if you had to be honest, it made you a tad bit jealous she called this her own. You headed into the living room to see that the goddess lived up to the lore of having felines as her favorite pets. Two of them sat next to the fireplace that was going, pleasuring around while their owner settled in for a quiet night.

One of the cats turned its head to look at you when it noticed a lingering presence. It let out a meow and bolted for the winding staircase that lead down. You decided to follow the cat and see where it would lead you, the boys followed suit. The three of you headed down to the bottom level of the house that appeared just as normal like the rest of the place. But looks could be deceiving if you looked behind closed doors.

You remained on alert as you approached a door that was cracked open just enough for you to sneak inside without bringing attention to yourself. What you stumbled upon was a place where Veritas, the goddess of truth, could be herself. You couldn’t help but find the portraits depicting of herself in her most natural state was a little too much. It seemed that’s not why Mr. Whiskers brought you down here. You looked over your shoulder to see the cat went bolting again, and straight forward to a pair of double doors that were parted open just enough for it to ran inside.

You and the boys followed behind to see what sort of secrets that were hidden behind the door. And it was the kind of creep that you were expecting to see. You could feel your stomach beginning to feel uneasy when you saw the cat had jumped onto what appeared to be a rolling metal table with scraps of its owner’s most recent meal she dissected. Limbs laid across the ground without much care along with a dismembered body hung up on a hook, cut clean of its organs. But she wouldn’t go hungry when you spotted the dentist who had hung himself in prison just yesterday off on the other side of the room, waiting to be dissected and picked clean of whatever Veritas was craving for the night. But she was in the mood for something more…fresher. 

“You came for dinner.”

A feminine voice caught you by surprise, making the tables be turned on you. You looked over your shoulder to see that Ashley Frank was no longer, and what stood in the doorway to greet you and the boys was Veritas herself in all her glory. You had been prepared to catch her off guard and wrap this hunt up before things could get messy. But that wasn’t the case for tonight. Things were about to become worse than you could imagine. And before you had a chance to defend yourself, all it took was a simple flick of her wrist for you to feel yourself flying across the room, and roughly hitting your head on the tiled floor, making your vision grow black.

\+ + +

You didn’t know how long you were out of it, but when you came back around, the first sensation that you felt was a throbbing pain in the back of your head from how you landed. You slowly came back around when you heard the sound of heels clicking away on the floor. It didn’t take you very long to realize that you weren’t welcome guests, but meat getting ready for the slaughter. Your hands were pinned behind your back and tied to a metal rod. The way that you were sitting, it would be near impossible to fetch out the knife you always kept in your back pocket for situations like this. You couldn’t move too much, because you might raise suspicion.

“I gotta say,” You decided to strike up a conversation with the pagan god, taking notice that she decided to slip out of her business formal wear for something much more gaudy in the form of a gold length evening dress and accessories decked out in diamonds. “You’re a little overdressed for this evening.”

“Mm. Cute. Sit sight. You’re up next.” Veritas didn’t seem to find your truthful opinion about her wardrobe the least bit funny. She left the three of you alone for a moment so she could walk over to the dentist and grab herself a snack. While she worked on ripping out his tongue straight out of his mouth, Sam was working on a way to get himself out. She joined you once again to get the fun started. But your gaze never looked away from the human organ she was currently holding. “The tongue…is the tastiest part. It’s where the lies roll off.”

“If you want some honestly, let me give you some helpful advice. Be careful with overindulging yourself. All that human meat will go straight to a woman’s thighs.” You were attempting to keep the sarcasm coming, knowing it’d be a matter of time until she either killed you. Or made you spill the harsh truth. She showed no regards for your words when you watched as she sank her teeth into the flesh, making you quickly look away. “Oh, God. I think I’m gonna be sick.”

“I cannot wait to eat yours. I mean, I’ve seen liars before, but you three? Gold standard.” Veritas said, putting down the tongue for a moment. Dean made a remark about lying being a personal pride of his, but she could see straight through him. She was the goddess of truth, after all. And he wanted to hear the harsh truth, so that’s what he was going to get. “I wouldn’t be so cocky if I were you, Dean. You know what happens when you base your life on lies, right? The truth comes along and…”

Veritas smiled to herself and wandered forward. She inspected the three of you with a close eye, curious to see what kind of secrets that you were keeping one another. “So, while you’ve still got your tongue, God knows you’ve got an earful. I think it’s your turn to spill some. How ‘bout we play a little truth or truth? What should we ask Dean first, hmm? Something…personal about you?” She wondered. She decided to make this a fun game, for her own enjoyment, of course. Veritas moved her gaze to Sam, deciding to start on family and work her way out. “Hey, Dean, I’m curious. What do you really feel about your brother?”

You furrowed your brow slightly as you looked at the man sitting across from you. You could see his facial expression change into surprise when she asked about the person he had been so on edge about lately. Dean tried his hardest to keep the truth down, but it all came out. “Better now. As of yesterday, I wanted to kill him in his sleep. I thought he was a monster. But now I think…” Dean’s honesty took you by complete and total surprise. You didn’t realize his feelings about his brother would have taken a dark turn like that. All though, it seemed like he changed his mind when he got a chance to think about it more. “He’s just acting like me.”

“What do you mean?” Veritas wondered, knowing there was more than he was trying to keep from everyone in this room.

“It’s the gig. You’re covered in blood until you’re covered the people you love. Half the time, you’re about to die. Like right now.” Dean said. The smirk on Veritas’ lips grew wider when she realized the goldmine of truth she hit from what the hunter admitted to next. “I told myself I wanted out…that I wanted a family.”

“But you were lying.” Veritas guessed to see if this was where he was going.

“No…Honestly, I don’t know anymore. I only really did it because that’s what Y/N told me. I did it for her. Not because because it was her dying wish, because I don’t think I can make a decision for myself. My entire life people have told me what to do. And…I just do it. The woman I spent a year with, she was great. And so was her kid. But the both of us knew it was never going to work out in the long run.” He said. “I’m not father material. I don’t deserve a normal life. What I’m good at is slicing throats. I’m a killer. And there’s no changing that. No amount of pretending can fix who I am.”

“Cold blooded killer who’s secretly still a little boy trying to please dear old Dad.” Veritas said. The look that settled on Dean’s face knew she had hit a nerve in him, told the man the truth of who he really was. People lie to themselves everyday, but the real fun was about undoing the ones you tell to the others around them. And the three of you were drowning in the little white lies she wanted to hear. “Y/N, let’s play a little game. You pride yourself on being a good friend, right? Team Switzerland when these boys get….catty. But I’m curious. Who’s your favorite?”

“What?” You chuckled at her question. “I don’t have a favorite.”

Veritas’ eyes narrowed slightly from your answer. "You know, you’re right. I’ve been eating well. Keeping all of you would be a bit overdoing it. So, say I decide to play nice and let you go. In exchange of letting me continue on and I get to keep one for a snack. So, if you had to choose one brother–and just one–who’d it be?”

“Well…” You swallowed when you felt all eyes on you to hear your answer. You weren’t sure if she was being honest herself. Or if she was just trying to answer the question of who would you save in a life or death situation. But you answered honestly like how she wanted. “I’d tell you to keep me and let them go. Because I know Sam and Dean count on each other the most. Even when they’re at each other’s throats. Those boys need each other more than they need me. That’s why I’m always so adamant on putting myself in danger. Because of how much bad I’ve done in this world. I…don’t make their lives better. I think, sometimes, I use them to make myself happy…so that I don’t feel alone.”

"Are you happy, Y/N?” She wondered, curious to see what else she could get out of you.

“No. I haven’t felt happy since I came back from hell. And it’s not the memories that bothers me. It’s what I did before I died. Dean doesn’t know this, but I wrote a letter to the woman he stayed with for that year. I told her that I wanted them to be together. I thought that was the right thing to do. I thought he deserved a normal life with her. But…I realized something.” You said. You could feel yourself overcome with a sudden rush of anger from what you were deprived of. “That’s what I wanted with Dean all along. I wanted to be the one he could come home to. Not her. I wanted to be the one to at least try and make his life a little less miserable. I desperately wanted to tell him that I was alive.”

“Then why didn’t you?” Dean asked you. You could hear his voice growing harder as his facial expression began to change. It wasn’t because he was angry at you. But it was all the truth that was being forced out of him against his will. “Lisa isn’t you. Nobody is. I could spend years trying to somehow get over you. But it’s impossible. I can’t get you out of my damn head. And it kills me to know you don’t feel the same way anymore.”

You didn’t know why, but you were taken back from his own confession. That’s how he really still felt about you? You always kept telling yourself that it was all just old feelings he held onto. One day he’d stop feeling the way he did before you died. But it seemed you were wrong. He loved you just as he did before. And he thought you didn’t. Which of course he would. You told him a dozen times, gave him the clues to lead him off the path. But you knew that wasn’t the truth. And suddenly you felt compelled to tell him everything that you’d been dying to.

“I was lying to you when you told me you loved me. I still love you. I never stopped.” You admitted to him. Your lips stretched into a faint smile from what you could finally say after so long. But the way that your eyes were slowly glaze over, that was caused by the guilt of all the lies you told him. And all the secrets were still still keeping from him. "No matter what I tried to do, you’re the only one I want to be with. I only lied to you because I thought you really wanted to get out of this.”

“Feels good to get that all off your chest, right? Yeah. I think so. But there’s got to be more than you’re telling us, Y/N. You knew things between Dean and this Lisa were over with. He was up for the grabs again. But you didn’t. You lied to him.” Veritas said with a matter-of-fact voice. You clenched your jaw from what she was about to make you say. “Why?”

“Because of what I did. I’m afraid if I tell him, he’ll hate me. But it’s not really that big of a secret between us. He’s already been suspicious.” You said. The words fell out of your mouth without realizing the consequences. And it wasn’t like you could stop any of this if you wanted to. “He thinks something’s been going on between us since we came back from the dead. Dean says that our friendship has gotten unhealthy. And he’s right. It has been.”

"Well, if I had to look at these two handsome faces all day I’d get tempted myself.” Veritas mumbled. She looked away from you to see the reactions, that was the best part she missed out on. She watched as Dean’s expression changed ever so slowly, she could see his heart breaking into tiny little pieces. “So, Y/N, let met get this straight. You’ve been lying about sleeping with Sam. And you’ve been lying about your true feelings to Dean—even though you knew he felt the same about you, too?”

”…Yes.“ The honesty slipped out from your mouth like you hadn’t been spending the last few months keeping it a secret from Dean. And just like that, you knew it was all over if you got out of this alive. You’d done a lot of stupid things in your life. But what you admitted to might have been the worst thing of all. You wanted nothing more than to drop dead in your spot when you felt two pairs of eyes suddenly upon you. Sam tried his hardest to look shocked at what you did, but you didn’t care at the moment of what his reaction would be. He lead on this game for the fun of it. You turned your gaze to Dean to see his reaction from what you just said.

It was easy enough to see that he was pissed off from the furious glare that settled on his face a few moments after the initial shock of the situation came over him. Dean had every right to be furious at you and hate your guts for what you did. But sleeping with his little brother behind his back wasn’t the thing that hurt him. It was the constant lying, making him feel like a paranoid man. He would realize in a second that this was the tip of the iceberg.

“I’ve had this special arrangement with him since we came back from the dead. The last time was a few days ago before we took this hunt.” You admitted all the details that you hoped would never come to daylight. But there was no turning back now. “I didn’t do it because I think of Sam as more than my best friend. I did it because he reminded me of Dean. It felt so easy to think of his brother than to face the fact that Dean was out of my life. I pretended for so long that he was someone else, but he’s really not. Sam’s not even the same person that I remember. He’s cold. Selfish. And..sometimes he scares me.”

“And the plot thickens for us.” Veritas pushed herself up to her feet, deciding the guilty look that wouldn’t leave your face was good enough. You couldn’t even get yourself to look anyone in the eye. She decided to finish with the younger Winchester, curious for what sort of things that were on his mind. “So, Sam and Y/N walking back into your life have been a relief. Nancy Drew and the Hardy brothers. But things aren’t all sunshine and rainbows. How do you feel about all your dirty little secrets being out in the open, Sam?”

You knew all of this was your fault, but the younger Winchester was partly to blame for what had come between the both of you. He was a willing participant. But he couldn’t forget that you and his brother had said some pretty mean things about how you really felt about him. “Look, what we do…is hard. And it can get lonely.” Sam said. He chose his words carefully to make all of it sound like the truth that she wanted to hear. “We’ve all done stupid things. But it doesn’t change the dynamics between us. We watch out for each other. And that’s what’s important. And that’s it. That’s the truth.” 

“No.” Veritas mumbled. Suddenly the look on her face changed when she heard what the younger Winchester was trying to admit. It’d been music to her ears to listen to all the things you and Dean had said. But when it came to looking into Sam, it was like looking into an empty shell of a man. “No, it’s not”

“You said yourself—I can’t lie.” Sam defended himself.

“How are you doing that? That’s not possible. You’re lying to me!” Veritas accused the man of doing something that no human before her could do. Sam got hostile when he tried to once again deny such a thing. She looked at you and Dean, as if you had the answer she suddenly was desperate to know. “What are you? What is he?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” The younger Winchester said, his tone of voice was just as smug as hers once just a little while ago. When she thought she was in control.

“Really? I doubt that. I doubt anything that comes out of your mouth right now. You’re not human.” Veritas said between clenched teeth. You couldn’t stop the look of surprise that crossed your face at what you heard. She looked over at you to see you were clueless about who you put all your trust into. “You didn’t know that, Y/N? Now, that I believe.”

She could believe whatever she wanted, because she wasn’t going to live past tonight. Sam cut through the last of the rope and sneakily tossed it over to his brother. The younger Winchester didn’t waste a second in attacking the woman, but she wasn’t going down without a fight. You tried to somehow reach the knife in your back pocket, but with how your hands were tied, you’d more likely break your wrist trying than actually succeed. Dean managed to cut through the bonds in record timing and left the knife on the floor, his worries shifted to taking down the god that was ready to eat the three of you right now if she could.

Dean spotted a crowbar on the floor that looked decent enough to take her down. He didn’t waste a second in sneaking up behind her when she wasn’t looking while she was choking his brother to the point of death. She didn’t realize what was going on before she found a crowbar sticking straight through her abdomen. When she turned around to give hell to the other brother for what he’d done, her human face was replaced of a monstrous one, taking you and Dean by surprise. But it was enough to take control of the situation. Sam reached behind him and grabbed the blood soaked knife one of you dropped, and when she didn’t expect it, he plunged it straight into her heart.

You watched as her lifeless body fell backwards, making you realize this mess was all over. But it was already too late. You didn’t know how you should feel right now. Guilty for all the secrets you kept from Dean? Happy to know that the both of you felt the same way about each other all this time? Or should you be scared at the possibility you had put all your trust into a monster.

Whatever you were feeling could be saved for another night. Dean grabbed one of the knives and headed over to you to finally cut through the rope when his brother was recuperating from the fight that he had. You let out a sigh of relief when your wrists were finally free. But you suddenly felt a tight grip around it when Dean yanked you to your feet. The look in his eye made you feel uneasy when you realized a second later he was holding a bloody knife.

The truth made a lot of people do stupid things, mostly it ended with them killing themselves after hearing the brutal honesty of what people thought of them. But there was the exception of the dentist who brutally murdered his patient after finding out the dirty little secret his friend was keeping from him. However, when you noticed that Dean wasn’t staring at you, but his brother, it all of a sudden made sense. Before you could tell him not to do anything stupid, he suddenly put himself right in front of you as he pointed the blade of the knife directly at his little brother. He wasn’t going to take any chances at believing you anymore.

“Dean, it’s me.” Sam said, trying his hardest to get through to his brother when the man started to slowly come at him. He put his hands up in a defeat as he backed away slowly, hoping things wouldn’t end up in a disaster.

“You are not my brother.” Dean hissed. You cautiously followed behind, but you remained in the man’s view, knowing one wrong move on your part and it’d be you impaled by the edge of the blade. Sam tried again to get his brother to come to his senses, but he wouldn’t listen. “What are you?!”

“I’m me, Dean.” Sam said. The younger Winchester looked over at you with that puppy dog look you’d missed for quite some time. It looked like Sam, he talked like Sam, but the emotions you remembered about him were gone. You didn’t know what to do. “Y/N, come on. It’s me. You know it is. Just…Look, please. Let me explain.”

“Why the hell should I believe anything you say?” Dean questioned the man.

“Okay, okay, you want the truth? Here it is. Here it is. God’s honest.” Sam’s pleading made you stupidly reach out an arm to put in front of Dean, stopping him for a moment from doing anything stupid. The younger Winchester exhaled a deep breath and decided for once after coming back from the dead to tell the truth. "She was right. There’s something wrong with me, really wrong. I’ve known it for a while.”

“What did you just say?” You asked the younger man. Your tone of voice dropped into a low, icy cold tone from what was going on here. Now it was your turn to suddenly become enraged with anger from what he was finally admitting to. “You knew this entire time and you didn’t tell me?”

“I know. It wasn’t right that I did that to you. But you’re not exactly a saint, Y/N. You were too oblivious to actually care. You used me as much as I used you for bait on hunts.“ Sam said. You could feel your fist slowly clench as you called him a bastard underneath your breath. But there was still some truth that he owed to tell Dean. "And…I let you get turned by that vamp. Because I

there was a cure, Dean, and we needed that nest! And I knew you could handle it!”

“Handle it?! I could’ve died!” Dean yelled at his brother, as if he forgotten what kind of danger he put the man in. Not to mention, for the people around them. “I could’ve killed Y/N.”

“And that should stop me cold. But I—I just don’t feel it.” Sam said. You and his brother weren’t exactly sure what he meant by that. You looked at him a bit funny. “Ever since I came back, I am a better hunter than I’ve ever been! Nothing scares me anymore! ‘Cause I can’t feel it. I don’t know what’s wrong with me. I think…I need help.” 

“Okay…Okay, Sammy. We will.” You mumbled to him, nodding your head. You didn’t know why the words were coming out of your mouth. Or why you were trusting him at all. But you had a feeling he was telling the truth again. You looked over at Dean to see that he was still holding the knife. You inhaled a breath as you outstretched your hand. “Dean, give me the knife. Please. Before you do something you’ll regret. It’s really Sam.”

The older Winchester waited a few seconds before he finally looked over at you. You could feel your heart beating faster in your chest when you finally stared at him for the first time tonight after hearing the brutal truth. You expected him to put up a fight or even turn the blade to your direction from what you did to him. But he listened to you. He stared at you with a blank expression when you managed to get the knife out of his grip, filling you with some relief as you headed over to one of the glass shelves to place it there for safety.

Dean remained silent for a few moments. If he had to be honest again, he was feeling all sorts of different emotions right now. But the one he felt the most of all was blinding-red anger. And how did men like to express themselves when they felt this way? Through violence, that was. You never saw it coming when the older Winchester punched his brother with so much force, it knocked him off his feet.

All of a sudden the man’s name was being screamed on the top of your lungs when you saw him brutally attacking his brother without a drop of remorse. You didn’t waste a second in trying to get Dean off of Sam before he could do any harm. But it turned out to be a mistake. As you reached down to try and yank the man at least twice your size off Sam, he was too blinded by his own rage to realize what he did.

Dean took your hand reaching to touch his shoulder as a threat than an attempt to calm him down. Without a thought, he reached out a hand and roughly shoved you, making you stumble to the ground and straight on your back. You managed to catch yourself by stretching out your arms and landed on your elbows. The pain wasn’t what caused you suddenly freeze in your spot. It was the shock at what just happened.

Dean blinked, and just like that, he suddenly realized what he’d done to you. He pushed you, just like how he pushed Ben. He never got physical with you before. It was an accident. But it was exactly how he ruined the one little good thing going for him with Lisa. And it might have been the same thing that would happen to the both of you…If you ever could get out of this situation that you landed yourself in.


	6. Family Matters.

“What else do you want me to say, Dean? I said I’m sorry.”

“Sorry? You’re sorry?”

Your jaw clenched in frustration as you rolled your eyes for what felt to be the fifth time in the span of a few minutes since coming back to the motel. Dean stood behind his little brother after he dragged the unconscious body from the car and insisted on treating his own flesh and blood like he was some kind of monster. You crossed your arms over your chest and remained silent, watching as Dean tied the ropes secure enough so the man wouldn’t retaliate before your eyes wandered up to inspect Sam’s face. His was bloody and swollen, you could see the skin starting to turn a reddish hue from the bruises that were beginning to form. 

You prepared yourself for the worst outcome when Dean found out the truth about what had been going on between you and Sam. What you weren’t expecting was the actual scenario that played out not that long ago. It seemed you weren’t the only one harboring a dark secret. Dean admitted to not having the best view of his little brother. He had expressed his worries when you and Sam started hunting again like old times. But you wouldn’t have expected them to escalate to the point where he was almost tempted in murdering the young man from how odd he was acting. The man’s resentment and anger towards his brother had been building for weeks now. And your confession was the straw that made Dean snap. 

“Yes, I am! Do you want me to say it in French?” You shouted at him in frustration. Dean didn’t find your sarcasm the least bit amusing when his cold stare only got worse when he moved to the small kitchen area to grab himself a beer. You forced yourself to take a deep breath and try to calm down before you made this argument escalate even more. “Look, I know what I did was wrong. I should have told you about me and Sam.”

“What you and Sam chose to do in your free time is none of my business, sweetheart. After all,” Dean slammed the fridge shut and twisted off the top to the beer. He leaned against the sink and brought the bottle to his lips, but it couldn’t hide his grim smile. “Both of you always had a close, creepy friendship. It was only a matter of time until you moved down the ladder.”

“I don’t like him like that!” You argued with him, throwing your hands up in the air for an added effect to show your frustration other than in your voice. “What I did was wrong. It was stupid. And for the thousandth time tonight, I’m sorry. But it doesn’t change how I feel about you. Sam and I are still friends. That’s it.”

“Could’ve fooled me.” Dean muttered underneath his breath as he took another sip of his beer. You furrowed your brow from what you heard him say. “You’ve been lying to me nonstop since we started hunting again. Give me one good reason why I should trust you.”

“I was lying to you because I was trying to protect you from getting hurt. And I know it was stupid of me to do.” You said. You let out a sigh from the lack of progress you were making with him. Dean scoffed at your excuse as he rolled his eyes, you gave him a dirty look from his reaction that he had every right to have. “But you’re no better. Don’t forget, you did a lot of crap from me when we came back from hell.”

"Don’t bring that crap up.” Dean said. “That has nothing to do with this.”

“It has everything to do with this! Do I have to remind you about all the lying you did to my face when we came back? How you pretended that the torture you inflicted on me didn’t happen. You didn’t take any of the blame for starting the crap show that has been our lives.” You said. You pointed your finger at him, jabbing the air each time you brought up the painful history between the both of you. “So don’t you dare turn your nose up at me.”

“At least when I got out of hell I went looking for you. I didn’t let you worry for a year about what was happening to me. I didn’t force you to chase dead ends that lead nowhere.” Dean said. You watched as he put his beer down to the table and slowly started to take steps, closing the gap between the both of you. Suddenly he was standing merely inches from you, forcing you to look into his eyes, and see what you put him through over year during your absence from him. “I really don’t care about what you and Sam did. I’m more hurt at what you didn’t do. You ran away. You forced me to live out a life that didn’t fit me. All I wanted was you. I still do.”

“I want you, too.” You whispered to him. Sorry was on the tip of your tongue again, yet you didn’t say it this time. The truth was what he really wanted to hear. Your lips stretched into a faint smile as you outstretched your arm to lightly grab a hold of his hand. “I only thought about you when I was with Sam.”

“And I only thought about you when I was with Lisa.” Dean admitted. You were about to give him a bigger smile as your finger brushed against his skin you suddenly desperately needed. But in the last second, he slowly retracted his arm from your grip, making you realize the sweet moment that was building between the both of you had ended. You gave him a confused look, he stared at you with a pained expression. He suddenly remembered the conversation he had with Lisa just the other day. About how the both of you only lead each other down a path paved with nothing but misery. Maybe she was right. “I…I can’t do this, Y/N. Not again.”

Your brow furrowed tightly as you forced out a chuckle, “Look. I’m not suggesting we kick it off like nothing happened. I know we have a lot to work through. But I’m sure with some time—”

“No. You don’t get it. It’s not what you did. It’s what you didn’t do. You lied, Y/N. You…You really hurt me. That’s all what we do to each other.“ Dean said. Your expression began to slowly change, into one that read of building anger. "I can’t do this now.”

“Okay…If that’s what you want. Fine.” You began to slowly back away from him as you nodded your head in agreement. A hint of regret attempted to cross your face, but you were used to hiding your emotions. You turned around in your spot, suddenly needing five minutes away from everything. “Call me when Cas—Oh, dammit!”

You felt yourself nearly jump out of your own skin when the angel Dean had prayed to just a little while ago suddenly was standing in front of you. You cursed underneath your breath when Cas managed to take you by surprise every time he came out of thin air. The angel stood there with a blank expression as he nodded his head at you, greeting you in his usual gravelly monotone voice. You and Dean didn’t waste a second in shifting your attention to the still unconscious Sam when Cas wondered what happened tonight.

You and Dean told the angel everything; from the pagan goddess who could force people into telling the truth that accused Sam of being a monster, to how Sam stood by and watched as his brother helplessly get turned by a vampire. You even admitted to a few incidents that you noted of while you were hunting with him alone. From the few times that he almost got you killed to the emotionless behavior he’d been having. You crossed your arms over your chest and looked at the young man lying unconscious in the chair. You would be the first one to admit of coming out of the cage with some rough edges around your personality. But Sam had come back as a completely different person.

“You’re right. He looks terrible.” Cas agreed when you mentioned about how Sam was an awful shape. You looked away from the young man and to his brother, causing the angel to wonder if Dean had been responsible. The glare that settled on your face left him to speculate. “Dean, did you do this?”

“Of course he did.” You muttered, rolling your eyes. “How else do you expect men to react?”

“Cas? Y/N?” Sam’s voice broke your concentration away from his brother and back to him when he slowly started to come back around. It took him a split second to realize that he wasn’t back at Veritas’ home, but tied to a chair in the motel room he was sharing with his brother. “Let me go.”

The angel bent down to inspect Sam, what for, you weren’t quite sure of yet. He grabbed ahold of the hunter by his head and stretched his eyelid up to watch as the pupils began to dilate from the overexposure to the light. “Have you been feverish?”

“Have you?” Dean questioned his brother in a demanding tone when the man didn’t answer right away.

“No.” Sam said. “Why?”

“Is he speaking in tongues?” Cas turned his attention to ask his next question. You gave him a slightly confused look before shaking your head no. “Are you speaking in tongues, Sam?”

“No. What are you…” Sam trailed off for a moment when he began to figure out what was going on here. And why all of you appeared so on edge around him. “Are you diagnosing me?”

“It’s for your own good. We’re just…trying to figure out what’s wrong with you, Sammy.” You reassured the younger man with a small smile. But your nerves were being tested when the older Winchester grumbled about how Sam better hope the angel could get an answer. Your expression faded once more as you looked over at Dean. It seemed all his sorrow he showed you before had disappeared. It was now replaced with a paranoid hunter, waiting for just about anything to go wrong. “You’re not helping, Dean. Will you just back off?”

“No. I can’t ‘back off’, Y/N.” The older Winchester argued with you “You think that there’s a clinic out there for people who just pop out of hell wrong?”

“I wish there was. Because far as I can remember, hell was a cakewalk compared to what Sam and I went through.” You said. You let out a sigh from how hard your voice turned, defending not only the younger Winchester, but shining some insight to a time in your life you forbid anyone to ask you about. “You don’t even know the half of it. Sam’s the product of what we came back from. And I don’t know about you, but I want to figure this out before jumping to the conclusion of killing him. Because if there’s something wrong with him, who’s to say I came back in one piece.”

Dean’s cold expression began to warm up slightly from the point you had made. Neither one of you took the chance to discuss what happened in the cage since you came back. He tried once, back when the both of you were reunited again, but you quickly shot him down with an excuse. He didn’t think about trying again, until now. The question was on the tip of his tongue, but he decided right now wasn’t the time to cut open old wounds. He moved his attention to his brother.

“Cas asks you a question, you answer.” Dean said. He pointed a finger at the young man like he was trying to discipline a small child who forgot about the rules. “You got it?”

“Sam,” Cas checked the younger Winchester’s heartbeat for half a minute to see if he could find any sort of change in the rhythm from what was happening, but it remained steady. The angel knew what his next question would be. “How much do you sleep?”

You and the two men directed your attention to Sam, who suddenly fell silent. He shifted around in the chair and looked around the room before turning his gaze back upon Cas. “I don’t.” Sam answered. You looked at him a bit funny, not sure how you could have missed this one. “Not since I got back.”

“And here I always pictured you as a cuddler.” Your remark caused Dean to give you the least bit amused of a look. Cas grew a bit confused, wondering what you were talking about. “Why didn’t you tell me? Didn’t it occur to you that something might be off about that?”

“Of course it did, Y/N.” Sam said. “I just never told you.”

Silence fell between the four of you as Cas moved to the other side of the younger Winchester, a look that made you suddenly feel uneasy settled in the angel’s expression. “Sam…what are you feeling right now?”

Sam scoffed at the question. You expected him to answer with pissed, angry, peeved at the lack of respect and integrity he deserved. But it was more of an observation to how he was feeling from what his brother did to him. “I feel like my nose is broken.”

“No, that’s a physical sensation. How do you feel?” Cas asked him again. Sam tried to answer with what he was thinking, but the angel stopped him. “No. Feel.”

“I…” Sam opened his mouth, but he was left speechless to answer such a question that would have been so easy to if he were himself a year ago. But his mind was blank. “don’t know.”

but there was one more test he wanted to do before coming to his final conclusion. Your brow furrowed tightly when you watched as the angel began to undo his belt and yank it off the loop of his pants. He folded it in half and instructed the younger Winchester to open his mouth. He placed the leather between the man’s teeth. It was for precaution for what was about to come.

“If there’s some place that you find soothing, you should go there,” Cas warned him. Your face dropped when you realize what he was about to do as the angel rolled up his sleeve. It was the exact same thing he did to that kid who sold his soul to Balthazar. Instead of looking for a mark, the angel needed to find a trace of a soul first if his speculation was correct. “In your mind.”

Cas didn’t give a proper warning before he slipped his hand inside the young man’s chest, inspecting what he could in little time as possible so the pain he was inflicting on Sam wouldn’t last too long. Sam tried his hardest to be trooper as he braced himself for the worst. But the pain that radiated through his body was nothing he felt before. You knew you couldn’t intervene on this moment, much as you desperately wanted to make the noises stopped. Dean looked away from his brother to see a look settled in your face and your actions subtly changed.

You swallowed when Sam began to yell on the top of his lungs and groan in pain when the belt he tried biting onto slipped out of his mouth. Your brow furrowed slightly as you crossed your arms over your chest, your fingers sank deep into your skin to keep yourself from ripping Cas’ head off his neck. But it was how your eyes glazed over with fear and your breathing came out more labored that made Dean worry. For a second you were brought back to the cage. To a place where time was meaningless. It was nothing but endless darkness, endless pain. The noises sounded like they went on forever, but thankfully, Cas stepped away after a few seconds.

Sam was finally allowed to catch his breath when the angel finished his business. He walked across the room so his back was turned on the young man, but Cas turned his head slightly to give you and Dean a solemn expression. Dean didn’t waste a second when he asked Cas if he found anything, the angel shook his head. You wondered if this was good news you wanted to hear.

“I’m afraid not. Physically, Sam’s perfectly healthy. It’s his soul.” Cas explained what the problem the four of you were about to face. You and Dean looked at each other, the both of you shared the same worried expressions, unsure of what to make of the findings when the angel gave it to you. “It’s gone.”

“….Gone? How is it gone? How the hell does one lose their own soul and remain alive? I’ve had horsemen who ate souls. We’ve sold our souls. Hell, I had two different souls in my body at one point. Not fun, by the way. But from what I know, you can’t lose a soul like that!” You snapped your fingers to prove a point, but you were just getting yourself flustered at trying to make sense of what you were hearing. “Let’s…take it from the top. Like we’re five. What do you mean he’s got no—”

“When Sam was resurrected…it was without his soul.” Cas said. You let out a breath from what you heard and looked over at the younger Winchester for a moment. The idea of him having lost something important as that made your heartbeat in nervousness. You quickly looked back at the angel when you asked him where the man’s soul could be. “My guess is it’s still in the cage with Michael and Lucifer.”

“So is he even still Sam?” Dean wondered.

“Well, you pose an interesting philosophical question.” The angel noted.

“Then just get it back.” You commanded at Cas, thinking it could have been easy as just asking him. Your expression hardened when the angel mumbled your name. “You pulled Dean out of hell no problem.”

“It took several angels to rescue him, and he wasn’t as well-guarded. Sam’s soul is in Lucifer’s cage.” Cas said. “There’s a difference. It’s not possible.”

“Something pulled us out and left an important piece of Sam behind. And I don’t give a damn how complicated it is. We have got to get it.” You said, your voice growing harder. It’s been over a year since you came back. A year where Sam’s soul was subject to endless torture. And more if you didn’t act quick enough. “There’s got to be a way to get it back.”

“So, are you guys gonna untie me?” Sam’s question made you look away from the angel to see that he was curious to see how long the three of you were going to stop treating him like some kind of prisoner. Dean answered with a blunt no. “Listen, I’m not gonna—”

“Sam, how am I supposed to let you out of this room?” Dean asked. He slowly approached his little brother with caution, not sure how he could trust the person in front of him from all the stunts that he pulled. 

“Dean, I’m not some psycho. I didn’t want you to get hurt. I was just trying to stop those vamps.” Sam tried to explain his reasoning behind his actions that looked sloppy and selfish. Neither you or his brother fell for the truth he was finally speaking for the first time. But he didn’t care. He needed the both of you distracted as he worked through the rope. “I’m sorry. It won’t ever happen again. Please let me go.”

The older Winchester scoffed, “You got to be kidding me.”

“What’re gonna do, keep me locked up?” Sam asked.

“You say that like it’s a bad thing.” Dean muttered underneath his breath, rolling his eyes as he began walking away from the man again.

“Okay, fine. Look, I get it. I get it, Dean. I was wrong. But, I’m telling you, I’m trying to get right. It’s still me.” The younger Winchester said. Dean narrowed his eyes on the man, knowing his actions told a much different story. “It is. So just let me go.”

“No way in hell.” Dean said, ignoring his brother’s pleads.

“I didn’t want it to come to this.” Sam mumbled. The younger Winchester easily worked through the rope that kept him once tied securely to the chair and got himself up. You scoffed and gave Dean a told-you-so look. Sam had learned a few tricks from their grandfather, one of them was about getting out of situations like this. But his words weren’t meant to be threatening. “You’re not gonna hold me. Not here, not in a panic room, not anywhere. You’re stuck with the soulless guy so you might as well work with me. Let’s fix this.”

“I’m gonna be watching every move you make.” Dean warned his younger brother. But the man didn’t seem to impose on the idea, he nodded his head in agreement. That didn’t stop Dean from shooting the man an easy look before asking for Cas to clean up his beaten brother with a broken nose. It only took a simple touch to the forehead before Sam was healed, as if nothing happened. “All right, if we’re gonna figure out what happened to your soul, we need to find out who ganked you and Y/N out. You say you don’t know.”

“No idea.” Sam admitted, you shook your head from the lack of answers you could give.

“Then we start a list. If it’s so hard to spring someone out, who’s got that kind of muscle?” Dean asked. You always put your money on Cas, or even God himself, but the two didn’t lend you a helping hand when you needed it the most.

“I don’t know.” Cas said. He thought to himself about the possibility of who could have do this, but when the angel was finding himself drawing blanks, he turned his gaze to you and Sam. “You two have no memory of your resurrection.”

You and Sam looked at one another for a second, wondering if the both of you had kept this kind of information from one another, but you didn’t seem to think Sam would lie about something like this. And if you did know, you were hell bent on kicking their ass for doing a sloppy job. “We woke up in a field. That’s all I remember.”

“No clues? None?” Cas asked.

You were about to shake your head again to answer the angel’s question, but you slowly looked over at Sam again, suddenly remembering you weren’t the only ones to have been brought back from the dead. This helping hand that pulled you from the buried depths of hell that not just anyone could get to. And this stranger was capable of pulling someone out from their heaven. You thought being brought back from the dead was a sign that good karma was working in your way of giving you a second chance. But why, out of anyone, would this stranger bring Samuel Campbell back from the dead as well? Your eyes narrowed suspiciously as you mumbled that you might have one. 

\+ + +

You and the boys didn’t waste a second packing up your belongings when you found your first lead to figuring out who pulled you out from the cage and left Sam’s soul behind. If you had to be honest, you didn’t like the Campbell family. All of them were born and raised in the hunting life. While they were learning how to properly hunt and kill monsters, you were playing with your Barbie dolls and being a good little girl. You had a hunch a few of them looked down at you for who you were. And the reputation your mother carried around when she didn’t follow to raise a third generation hunter properly.

They thought with a little over five years of experience and stopping the apocalypse wasn’t good enough. However, you proved yourself time and time again about your extensive knowledge you gained from doing research for the Winchester family. And it helped that you were trained by the two men who were raised by an ex marine and Bobby Singer, the hunter who had been doing this just as long as Samuel had. And the only man you’d take orders from. You and Samuel had seemed to agree to keep one another at arm’s length and keep mutal respect of not to overstep the boundaries. You only stuck around and helped hunt with them for Sam’s sake.

When you arrived at the compound, you were greeted to the sight of almost every available hunter working diligently. It seemed you and the boys were left off the invitation list to tag along in the next vampire hunt. Machetes were being sharpened and syringes were being pumped full of dead man’s blood. Whatever was going on, you had a feeling this was going to be a big one. You looked away when Christian, your least favorite Campbell, greeted Sam with a grin as the two men embraced in a quick hug and a slap on the back. You gave the man a tight smile to try and appear to be polite.

“Hello, Newman.” Dean greeted the man. “Where’s the man?”

Christian pointed a thumb over his shoulder, signaling the way to Samuel’s private office that most people would need a personal invite to head down the hall from the man himself. But you weren’t in the mood for being polite when you brushed past Christian and head straight down the hall, the boys following behind you. You didn’t knock and wait for permission, instead, you ripped open the door and stepped inside, taking the older man by surprise. You caught him staring at a photograph that he quickly put face down on his desk. You had a feeling of who it was, but you didn’t care. You were here on more important matters.

“Come right on in.” Samuel mumbled, not the least bit happy about what you did.

“We need to ask you a few questions.” You said. Samuel looked at the three of you with a concerned expression when he asked what was wrong. “The day you got back, what happened?”

Samuel’s expression changed slightly from the suspicious question that seemed to have come out of nowhere, “We’ve been over this, Y/N.”

“Well, recap it for our wingman.” Dean said.

The sounds of ruffling feathers signaled Cas’ arrival when he appeared in your sight. Samuel turned around in his chair to see the angel he heard so much about. “This Castiel?” The man asked. A smile began to creep at the ends of his lips at the sight of a real life angel standing in front of him. “You’re scrawnier than I pictured.”

“This is a vessel.” Cas explained to the hunter. You rolled your eyes when he took personal offense to what Samuel remarked on. “My true form is the size of your Chrysler building.”

“All right, all aright. Save the bragging for the ladies, Cas.” You mumbled. “So, Samuel, you said that you were dead. And—”

“And, pow, I was on Elton Ridge. Don’t know how, don’t know why.” Samuel explained his story, but all of you didn’t seem to believe him the second time around. “I got nothing to hide, guys.”

“You mind if Cas here double-checks?” Dean asked.

Cas rolled up his sleeve and got ready to conduct his second search for the night. You and the boys were prepared for the vocal reaction that Samuel gave. But it seemed the hunter was quite the yeller. Suddenly the door swung open when Christian thought you were trying to kill the man instead of having an innocent talk like once thought. Before the man could pull the trigger, the boys managed to calm him down and explain the very unusual sight he stumbled upon.

“What the hell?” Christian demanded. 

“Angel cavity search.” Dean tried to explain.

“I’m fine, just give me a minute.” Samuel reassured his nephew. But from how he was hunched over in pain told the younger man a different story. Christian wasn’t comfortable leaving the man alone in the same room as you three, but he listened to his uncle’s order when the man told him again that everything was fine. When the door was shut again, Samuel let out a breath as the pain began to fade. “What the hell was that about?”

“His soul is intact.” Cas told all of you.

“What? Of course I have a—” Samuel wasn’t sure now why the hell the three of you were really here and how it was seemed necessary to know if he had a soul. He got his suspicion when he looked over at you and Sam, the both of you looked uneasy to hear the news. “What’s going on, guys?”

“Whatever dragged me out left a piece behind.” Sam explained to his grandfather. The man’s face didn’t seem to change all that much. It almost seemed like it was a bit of a relief. “Did you know?”

“No, but I—I knew it was something. You’re hell of a hunter, Sam…but the truth is, sometimes you scare me.” The older Campbell admitted, shaking his head at the honest opinion he had kept over the past year about his own grandson. “So, what’s the deal here? How do we fix this? How do we get his soul back?”

“We don’t know yet.” You said. “But we have to.”

“Well, I’m here to help, of course.” Samuel said. “What leads are you working on?”

“A bunch of dead ends, and you.” The younger Winchester answered.

You gave the older hunter a small smile from his encouragement to help and support from what he said next. Your eyes moved away from the hunter when you noticed Cas had grown eerily silent. The angel appeared to be deep in thought as he stared out the window to the night sky.

“Y/N, boys. I have to get back.” Cas said. You furrowed your brow in frustration when you realized he was leaving suddenly. You asked him why he was bolting so quickly, this was the time you needed him the most. The angel gave you a look, as if you should have known he was currently facing his own troubles. “I am in the middle of a civil war.”

“You better tear the attic up, find something to help Sam.” Dean said.

“Of course, your problems always come first.” Castiel nodded his head, making sure to keep his promise to the older Winchester. You couldn’t help yourself but look at the angel as a strange feeling began to fill the pit of your stomach from how he was acting. You prayed for months after you got out for help, or for even a simple hello to know that he was alive. But when Dean told him to do something, the angel didn’t even bat an eye. “I’ll be in touch.”

The angel disappeared from your sight when you blinked again, leaving without saying a proper goodbye like always.. Samuel took a moment to digest what he just witnessed and tried to process about how he felt about this Castiel. “I would have asked him to stick around for a beer.” The older hunter mumbled.

“What’s with the book club outside?” Dean asked.

Samuel walked across the room to grab what appeared to be a small metal box and placed it on his desk, “Putting together a hunt.”

“That’s a lot of guys for one hunt.” The older Winchester remarked.

“You found him, didn’t you?” Sam asked his grandfather when he had a hunch for what might be going on here. Dean found himself growing confused as your face dropped when you realized who his brother was talking about. “He’s got a lead on the Alpha vamp.”

“Do you?”

“Maybe.”

Samuel wanted to play guessing games, but when you gave him a serious look, he nodded his head as the ends of his lips grew into a victory smirk.

“How’d you track him down?” Dean asked.

The older hunter reached inside his duffel bag he’d grabbed just a few moments ago and pulled out a machete, “We’re good.”

Dean scoffed at the pitiful answer, “That’s all I get?”

“When’s the run?” Sam cut off his brother when he had a question of his own. A smirk of began to spread across his lips at the thought of tracking down the big monster. Samuel grew quiet for a moment as he dropped his gaze to his desk. He shuffled around a few things and mumbled that the hunt began at dawn. “And you didn’t call me or Y/N? Why?”

“Because of me.” Dean answered his brother’s question. He knew well enough that him and his grandfather didn’t get on the right foot. While Samuel wanted to get to know his oldest grandson better, Dean was hesitant. And now when it came to the big stuff, Samuel only wanted the people that would listen to his every word without backlash. “You don’t trust me, do you? Especially when it comes to big game like this.”

“That’s not true.” Samuel said, trying to defend his actions.

“Okay. Well, then we’re in.” Dean agreed. He was tagging along and making plans without even trying to compromise with Samuel. His grandfather grew hesitant from the shift of power as he began to try and change the situation. “So you don’t trust me?”

“No, I just don’t know you.” The older hunter said. “Not like I know Sam.”

“All right. You call the plays, one hundred percent. I’m here to listen.” Dean said. You looked at the man and scoffed quietly from the dramatic shift in personality. He didn’t like anyone being in charge except for himself. You asked him since when did he take a backseat. “Big Daddy Bloodsucker? I ain’t gonna miss that, Y/N. But this is Samuel’s deal, okay? I get it. I’ll follow your lead. I trust you.” 

“Okay. I’ll see you kids at dawn, then.” Samuel said. You nodded your head and decided to see yourselves out so the man could continue on his packing for the upcoming hunt. You followed behind to the door when the boys headed out into the hall and making their way to the exit. You were about to join them when Samuel called out your name, asking if he could speak to you for a moment. You were a bit confused, but you agreed, motioning to Dean that it’d be a second, all before you disappeared back into his grandfather’s office. “Can I ask you a funny question?”

“Sure.” You agreed. “What do you want to know?”

“When Castiel checked me and Sam to see if we had a soul…did he check you, too?” Samuel approached his question with a bit of caution in his tone. You looked at the hunter with a bit of a confused expression, wondering why he wanted to know such a thing. “To make sure that even if it was normal looking? You know, not black? I’m just asking out of caution. Considering your previous history.”

“Are you asking me if I’m still a demon?” You wondered. You scoffed at the audacity to suddenly pull this out of thin air. “Because if so, I haven’t shown any of the typical signs. And unlike Sam, I went to the cage with some protection. Cas figured that I’m good as new. I’m human.”

“Good. This is a big one, Y/N.” Samuel said. “I need you on the top of your game. I know how these kind of things can…wear you down. Trigger an episode.”

You nodded your head slowly, mumbling that you always were when it came to situations like this. There was no way in hell that you were going to miss out on an opportunity like this. You joined the brothers once again when Samuel started packing up his belongings again. You left the compound feeling a bit confused as to why he would have asked such a thing. Little did you know that he was hoping to hear Castiel didn’t touch your precious little soul.

\+ + +

“I don’t trust him. Dude’s hiding something.”

You stepped out from the Campbell compound and barley had the door shut behind you when Dean dropped the supporting grandson act when he figured he was far away enough from Samuel. You gave the older Winchester a bit of a confused look as you walked in sync with him and Sam, the three of you heading to the Impala parked just a few yards away. The conversation you witnessed a few moments ago made you wonder if Dean was finally turning his opinion around on his own flesh and blood. But it seemed all of it was just an act.

“You’re giving me whiplash,” You said, stopping in your tracks so you could get to the bottom of this before the hunt you were about to participate in tomorrow wouldn’t end up in one of you or Samuel’s members getting killed. “What’s your problem with Samuel now?”

“Where does he get off asking you questions like that? I don’t know, Y/N. He’s just giving me off all the wrong vibes. Can’t you feel it?” Dean asked. You raised a brow and shook your head no to answer his question. Sam stared blankly at his older brother. "And if you weren’t Robo-Sam, you’d feel it, too.”

“Huh.” Sam mumbled, the word falling out as he let out a breath. He might have been soulless, but it didn’t take an idiot to see that Dean acting out of character. It wasn’t that long Samuel had saved his brother’s life, but even that wasn’t enough for the man to embrace his grandfather with open arms like Sam expected he would. “Just…You. Saying you don’t trust family.”

“Look, we hang close, we blend in, we see what we can pick up.” Dean suggested the best plan of action for right now. 

“You think Samuel’s connected to this whole soul thing?” You wondered. 

“I still think he’s the only lead we got.” The older Winchester admitted. 

You exhaled a frustrated breath through your nose from the trouble you were about to get yourself into. Poking your nose in someone like Samuel’s business was going to be tough enough as it was, but you also had a compound full of hunters that would do just about anything for the man. Not to mention his guard dog of a nephew, Christian. If he sniffed out that you and the boys were causing some kind of trouble, he’d rat you out. But you’d be willing to take your chances if it meant you got a clue to figure out the tedious search to find Sam’s precious soul from the depths of hell that not even Cas and his siblings could reach.

You and the boys headed inside the compound again to see that everyone was diligently working, there wasn’t a single pair of eyes that looked up to see what you were up to. Except for Christian. Sam headed over to the man and took a seat across from him to strike up a conversation. You and Dean played it casual and lingered around the room for a few moments, noticing that everyone was engrossed in their work. Nobody would notice if the two of you decided to sneak off to Samuel’s office. This time you knocked on the door and waited for him to answer, but you were greeted with the lovely sound of silence. You pressed your ear against the door to see if you could hear the sound of shuffling feet, nothing. You looked over at Dean and nodded your head.

Dean picked the lock in under a few seconds and managed to get the door open. You peeked your head inside to see the coast was clear. But that was far as the two of you two made it. You flinched in air when you heard a voice echo through the hall, “You guys lost?”

“Had to make a phone call.” Dean said, managing to come up with a lie as Christian stood at the end of the hall. He leaned against the wall with a smug smirk on his lips, thinking he caught you and Dean read handed doing something you shouldn’t. “Y/N suggested this was the best private spot here.”

“Oh. Samuel’s locked office is pretty private. You know the rules, Y/N. Office is off limits without him around. Especially to you.” Christian reminded you like the good little boy that he was. You mentioned that it wasn’t locked, he scoffed at your weak excuse. “Who you calling, Dean?”

“Your wife.” Dean decided to hit below the belt, you let out a sigh as you rolled your eyes from how childish he could be “Let her know I’m not gonna make it over tonight.”

Christian forced himself to let out a chuckle as he played along with the little game Dean had been playing since he first got to know him. He pushed himself up from the wall and began to walk forward to the both of you. “You know, I’ve tried playing nice, Dean,” Christian said slowly as he approached the man, leaving you off to the side to see this pitiful fight unfold. “But I think I’m done.” 

“You’re a bigger knob than you’ve been letting on?” Dean wondered in a sarcastic tone of voice, only adding more fuel to give Christian a reason to hate him. Or punch him in the face from the tasteless joke Dean slipped into the brief conversation.

“I’m the guy who’s been here, doing my job. Who are you? You think we need you here? You walk around like you’re playing pro tennis. I bet the only action you’ve been seeing lately is right between this slut’s thighs—when Sam’s not between them, of course.” Christian said. Your facial expression dropped slightly from what you heard him say. If you had more important things to do right now, you would have happily knocked his two front teeth out of his mouth. But you looked away, refraining yourself from reacting, knowing it ‘d only cause more trouble than you needed.

Dean didn’t think twice about the consequences when he grabbed a fistful of Christian’s jacket to roughly throw him against the wall. The look on his face had shifted into a dark expression as he raised his brow slightly, wondering if Christian wanted to be smart again. “I know you’re a pompous dick with a tiny IQ. But I think you know better than to speak to a woman like that. Espiecally the one who could kick your ass six ways from Sunday.” Dean warned the man. Christian’s smirk faltered slightly as he rolled his eyes. “Samuel might find you awfully unhelpful if you suddenly…I don’t know, got your tongue cut out.”

“I’m so scared. I’m shaking my boots.” Christian said. He chuckled, brushing off the man’s threat he thought was nothing more than that. But you could tell from the look in Dean’s eye that the tamest thing he could think of at the moment. “You sure you wanna come with us tomorrow? Accidents happen. Would be a shame if something happened to you or Y/N.“

“Don’t worry, man. We got your back.” Dean reassured the man. He finally released his grip he had on Christian and stepped back. He decided to play along to this little game the man wanted to play. If he wanted to go low and pull a stupid stunt, Dean wouldn’t lose sleep to be the last one laughing. He looked over at you. “Right, Y/N?”

"Yeah. Kind of like that werewolf hunt six months back. One took you by surprise and nearly killed you. But who saved you again?” You asked, pretending to wait for the answer. Your lips stretched into a smile from the look that crossed Christian’s face as his mood quickly changed when he tried doubting your hunting skills. You left him with that memory as you began walking behind Dean, knowing the both of you would have to come back another time. Before you turned the corner, you made sure to raise your arm over your head and give the man a flash of your middle finger. “See you at dawn!”

\+ + +

Everyone departed from the compound a little before dawn, giving you some time to head to the farm where the nest of vampires and the Alpha was last sighted. You and the boys prepared yourselves for the big day. Like always, Samuel was in charge of this one. He made sure that all of you were ready for the fight you had ahead. You had several syringes of dead man’s blood at your fingertips with a sharpened machete so fine, it could cut through a piece of paper. You were prepared for just about anything that laid inside the house and the miles of farmland that surrounded you, the boys and the Campbell hunters.

“The house is just over the hill. About a dozen vamps and the Alpha. We got one shot at this son of a bitch. Christian, take flank. The rest of you are with Sam and me.” Samuel explained the plans for today as he got himself geared up with whatever weapons he might need. “Dean, Y/N, hang back, sweep any stragglers we flush out.”

“Wait, what?” You didn’t waste a second when you voiced your opinion on the matter, a scowl settled in your expression when you realized the man was backing out of the deal you made with him. “You told me I’d get to be apart of the next hunt if you tracked this Alpha. You can’t let me be benched with Dean because you don’t trust him. I’m one of the best hunters you have. Hell, I’m the one who helped track the last two!”

“Careful Y/N,” Christian dare so tested your nerves, “Don’t wanna get too arrogant. I hear it’s a real killer for hunters who think they’re all that.”

“Oh, bite me.” You muttered underneath your breath, rolling your eyes from his attitude.

“We can’t take any chances, Y/N. I’d feel better if you stayed behind with Dean. Show him how us Campbells do things around here. Next time.” Samuel promised you. Knowing him, the man would come up with another excuse, pushing you to the sidelines until he was asking for you to do research, track another Alpha you couldn’t even hunt. You gritted your teeth in frustration as you looked over at the older Winchester, giving him the wrath of you glare. “All right. Let’s go.”

Dean watched as you started off on your supervision of the place as everyone else headed off into the woods. Sam headed over to his brother when he noticed the man was starting to look uneasy from what was going on. Dean wanted to be on the inside to see how things worked, but instead he was left out on the outskirts with you as the tension from the prior day still lingered on. As if things couldn’t have gotten any worse, they always did.

“Don’t worry.” The younger Winchester reassured his brother. “It’s fine.”

“Oh, nothing fine. You’re not fine.” Dean muttered. He shook his head and pinched the bridge of his nose from the undesired situation that he was going to have to deal with for now. “Go. Go.”

Sam listened to his brother’s command and quickly headed over to the crowd so he wouldn’t fall anymore behind. As the group began to become a smaller spec in the distance, Dean looked away, only to realize that you were standing across the way, staring at him. When you saw that he noticed, you quickly turned your attention to in front of you and continued to keep guard.

\+ + +

You and Dean had been on the outlook for any vampires that managed to get past almost a dozen other hunters. This felt like child’s play compared to what you signed up for, but at least you were in better company than who you were stuck with normally. You kept your distance from the man out of anger from what Samuel did. Maybe he was doing the right thing about not putting that kind of stress on you. Maybe it was revenge for what you did to Christian after the baby ran to his uncle after getting his feelings hurt. Whatever it was, you knew it wasn’t a good excuse to lash out on Dean. You slowly made your way forward to him, deciding to strike up a conversation when you made eye contact with him again.

“I’m sorry.” You said your two least favorite words that were feeling overused by this point. But it was for a completely different reason. Dean turned around to see that you were standing there with a small smile. He gave you a bit of a confused expression, wondering what you were trying to apologize for this time. “I didn’t mean to act like a bit of a bitch earlier. It’s just…so frustrating.”

Dean looked at you with a curious glint in his eye, “He done this to you before?”

“Yeah. Normally I’m stuck with Gwen.” You said, shrugging your shoulders. A moment of silence threatened to fall over the two of you again. Until your brain decided to blurt out something you thought would help ease the tension you caused as your lips stretched farther into a smile. “At least my company this time is cuter. And better skilled, too.”

Dean found himself feeling a smile creeping at the ends of his lips from the subtle flirtation you were giving him. The both of you were starting to grow weary from the heavy emotions you had been dragging around for the past day and a half. There was so much truth to process, so many things that you’d compressed for months. Dean realized that maybe the year without him wasn’t all sunshine and rainbows. He figured from the small banter you shared with Samuel that you were left out on the sidelines a lot. Sam got friendly with their grandfather, leading to a bond that outweighed everything. And since the man didn’t have a soul to hold him down, the man was a killing machine.

You had struggles that he hadn’t been burdened with for a over a year. He’d only gotten a taste of how much of a dick Christian could be. How Samuel didn’t trust anyone that wasn’t willing to give him full power. And not to mention Sam. You didn’t know what was wrong with him for that entire time. You did everything that you could to protect him from making the wrong decision. Even if you made a few of your own along the way. Dean reminded himself that he didn’t get to go to hell for the second time. You’d been scared after coming out of the cage, alone, grieving your own loss of not being able to see him for all that time. Your actions for the past year and a half was about protecting the brothers.

Dean suddenly was reminded of his actions the night before when you were trying to stop him from doing something deadly to his little brother out of pure anger that had been building slowly over the past few weeks. From Sam standing back and watching him turn into a vampire. To the way he didn’t act like himself. To the blatant lying he did straight to his face. He couldn’t take it anymore. But actions have consequences. He swallowed slightly when the memory of him pushing you crossed his mind again, the guilt he couldn’t stop feeling crept back.

“I’m gonna take a wild guess and say since Sam’s gotten cozy with the old man, you’ve been stuck playing Nancy Drew for them. Minus the ass kicking.” Dean decided to guess what you meant previously about being left out on the sidelines. You nodded your head again and looked over at the path that lead to the house. A look began to creep into your eye. It wasn’t envy, it wasn’t anger. It was worry for Sam’s survival in there. “I’m sorry.”

You quickly looked back over at the man from what you heard. You gave him a confused look as your brow furrowed as a quiet laugh escaped your throat, “What?”

“I’m sorry for pushing you. It was out of line, complete dick move on my part. And I know I should have done it sooner. But my mind’s been wrapped up in this Sam stuff.” Dean admitted. You nodded your head slowly, understanding the mental burden of the new side of Sam could bring out in a person. “You really didn’t know, did you?”

“I had a feeling there was something…different about him. I thought he was just trying to forget what happened down there.” You muttered ever so quietly. You exhaled a deep breath as you glanced down to the ground, trying to keep your mind focused. "Hell changes people. But the cage..the cage destories them.”

Out of anyone, Dean understood that sentence and the heavy emotions they carried when he remembered the months after being freed from hell. And the memories that he created for himself. He wanted to ask what it was like down there. He wanted to know out of some sick, twisted curiosity. He wanted to understand what you were forced to see, even if it was for a brief moment in time. But the question remained only as a thought to him.

The sound of a twig breaking in the near distance made your head snap forward to the mile of woods you had been previously inspecting. You furrowed your brow in caution as you pulled out your machete, Dean following in your actions a second later. You looked over to where the noise came from, inspecting between the trees to see if you could find a blurry shadow of a vampire trying to make their great escape. Neither one of you realized that it was right behind you before it was too late.

You were taken by surprise when you felt a pair of hands on your shoulders and roughly threw you to the ground like it was nothing. You couldn’t recover in time to defend yourself as you fell straight down into the dirt, the machete accidentally losing itself in your grip. Dean was quick to try and attack the rogue vampire, but before he could even gain power, the vamp proved himself a bit tougher. He grabbed ahold of the hunter and threw him against the gate wall made out of pure rock. Without breaking a sweat, the vamp then tossed Dean to the ground like he’d done to you. Dean barely had a second to react in revenge as he reached for his machete, but he fell a fine splatter of blood hit his face before he could defend himself.

Dean opened his eyes slightly to see the vamp’s head slide clean off his neck as he dropped to the ground, barely a few inches from the man, forcing him to endure the result of your actions. You stood over him with a bloody machete and a dead vamp at your feet. An apologetic look quickly replaced the smirk you grew from what you done. Dean laid on the ground, the vamp’s blood soaked in the crooked of his neck and splattered a bit over his face. Before you could open your mouth, Dean outstretched his arm, a smirk of his own growing.

“Nice job.” Dean said. You let out a breath as you thanked him, quickly helping the man up to his feet so he could wipe away the blood with his sleeve. As you looked around to see if you could spot any more runners, your head quickly snapped over to the path leading to the house on the hill. “Well, that doesn’t sound good.”

“Yeah.” You agreed. “Not at all.”

Defying orders is what got people killed, Samuel once said after you went in to save someone during one of these Alpha hunts when you saw a runner. If it wasn’t for you, a hunter

be dead. You and Dean headed down the same path and tried to find a way into the home. From the headless corpses sprawled across the yard, it seemed Samuel and his hunters were quite busy. Dean reached out to shake the metal gate that stood as your only obstacle to getting inside the place, but it was locked up nice and tight. You looked up to see if you could somehow climb up, but the edges were too sharp and it’d take too long to get up there. You looked back down to the ground and turned your head to Dean to give another suggestion, but it seemed the man was lost in his own thoughts for a few seconds. 

You lightly shoved him to break the man’s concentration away from the roof, making the sudden rush of deja vu to disappear. The both of you circled around the house to find an opening to the yard so you could explore more of the grounds. You were expecting for any sort of threat to come your way, but every vamp that must have been in here was killed. And brutal, for that matter. You heard the sound of someone smacking on the glass, causing you to turn your head towards the patio door. A girl roughly pounded against the fragile door, trying to get someone’s attention, but it was quickly the death of her when you heard a scream before her blood splattered across the glass.

“Sam! Hey. Got him? Here. Here.”

You furrowed your brow slightly when you heard a familiar voice echo through the air, making you look over to Dean again. The both of you exchanged a skeptical look before you followed the noise, wondering what was going on back there. You and Dean crept around to the other side of the house to see a sight you wouldn’t have ever suspected. Over a year working for Samuel, tediously tracking down the Alphas with him. And this was how your hard work was paid off for.

"Careful, now!” Samuel stood behind a group of at least five or so hunters, watching as his men, even his own grandson, help force a captured Alpha into the back of a van. You swallowed as you felt your grip around the machete tighten. The Alpha hissed and growled underneath the sack over its head. But you had a feeling his days were numbered. You expected them to be laughing, holding the Alpha’s head by his hair. Not this. “All right. Get him in.”

You clenched your teeth as you stood back up, disappearing from sight so neither one of the hunters could spot you. You looked over at Dean to show him how much of a shock this was for you as it was for him. That’s why Samuel didn’t want you apart of the hunt. Because you had a conscious, a soul to know that whatever sort of sick and twisted things they were doing were wrong. 

You and Dean headed back to the front of the house without raising suspicion. Samuel and his men were coming back, the younger Winchester not far behind. You tried your hardest to hide your spooked expression, but your eyes followed Sam, wondering what kind of things he was hiding from you. 

“Everything all right here?” Samuel’s voice took you by surprise, making you break your concentration away from his grandson and to the man in front of you. He stared at you with a concern expression, thinking a problem arised while he was gone.

“Just, uh, chopped up a runner. No big deal.“ You chuckled quietly and shrugged your shoulders nonchalantly. "How’d it go?”

“Rough, but one alpha down.” Samuel said. 

“Where is it?” Dean asked.He looked over the man’s shoulder to see if he could try and find the vampire. “Want to pay my last respects.”

“Well, bring marshmallows. Already on the pyre.” Samuel gave you the unfortunate news. You nodded your head slowly, letting him think you believed in his little lie. Your eyes narrowed slightly as you watched the man load himself into the front of his pickup, heading somewhere you had guessed wasn’t the compound.

\+ + +

You sat in the backseat of the Impala with your arms crossed over your chest. You hadn’t said a single word since you wrapped up the hunt with the boys and the Campbells. For over a year now you’d been grinding your teeth and doing what was told of you, thinking you were helping the greater good of putting the big monsters out of their misery. You’d been playing along to Samuel’s little games because you wanted to make sure that Sam was safe. Dean wasn’t there to help decide if his own flesh and blood were good people. Now that you had someone on your side to see who they really were, and what was causing Sam to act so different, you were starting to feel like an idiot for letting this go on for long.

“Things go okay back there?” Dean struck up a conversation when he was driving down the quiet country road after night had fallen while driving back to the Campbell compound. Sam shrugged his shoulders and mumbled that it was fine. You inhaled an audible breath from the silence that had fallen between the three of you. “Nothing weird?”

Dean continued on trying to bait his brother for more of an engaging conversation, but his brother shrugged his shoulders, not adding more detail than a simple answer. You looked away from the empty road in front of you to the man sitting in the driver’s seat. Dean was losing his patience faster than the both of you agreed on. He promised you to try and take this situation head on, without going to his dramatic ways like last time. But you flinched in anger when you felt the car take a sudden jerking right turn, sending the Impala off to the side of the road. Dean didn’t waste a second in killing the engine and stepping outside, needing a moment to try and calm himself down.

All of these discoveries you were making took a personal toll on all of you. Learning that Sam didn’t have a soul making him unempathic to knowing how to make the right choice. You making a few wrong decisions to make life a little more tolerable. Dean losing his temper and lashing out at the both of you. Not to mention, the Campbells the brothers were supposed to call family. Turned out they were liars, a bunch of no good hunters with some dirty tricks up their sleeve.

Sam looked over his shoulder when you let out a frustrated sigh from what was going on here. You quickly opened up the backseat door and tried to get Dean to calm down. Sam stepped out of the car himself to see what was going on.

“Y/N and I saw you walk that alpha out the door, Sam.” The older Winchester didn’t waste a second when he brought up what had been nagging him in the back of his head all day. He pointed a finger at the man standing across from the car. “Now, call me crazy…But that seems weird. Y/N was a little spooked at what she saw. Didn’t have a clue of what the hell was going on! You want to tell us?”

“Oh.” Sam said with a quiet sigh. Normally, if he had a soul to feel emotions, right now the man would be feeling guilt for hiding a secret like this for so long. Except he stared at you with a blank expression when you repeated what he said with little reaction. “You weren’t supposed to know about that.”

“Know about what?” You asked. The man seemed hesitant all of a sudden to speak the truth. “Sam, I’ve been busting my ass for over a year working with you guys to track these Alphas down. What the hell have you been keeping from me?”

“It’s just something Samuel’s been doing.” Sam explained to the oh of you. “Catching things, taking them somewhere, grilling them for info.”

“Grill. Torture, right?” You presumed that was what he was doing. You clenched your jaw in frustration when he nodded his head. “And keeping me on the sidelines, not telling Dean or me—that was his idea?”

“No, it was mine.” Sam said.

You furrowed your brow in confusion, “Why?”

“Honestly? ‘Cause you two would mess it up.” Sam admitted. You scoffed at his excuse and rolled your eyes from how he was acting. “You’re not that great of a hunter as you think you are, Y/N.”

“What did you just say to me?” You questioned him with a venomous tone. “I’m just as a good hunter as the both of you.”

“Not really. You get too emotional. You don’t see the bigger picture.” Sam said. You knew it was the lack of his own conscious talking. But soulless Sam was a complete dick. “The both of you shoot first at the monster, ask questions later, and we needed to ask questions.”

“You know, I-I don’t care if you’ve got soullessness or the freakin’ mumps, man—You know better than this!” Dean yelled. Monsters were easy subjects to study from afar and figure out what their weakness was when They weren’t lab rats you locked up to poke and stare at. If you did it, the line between monster and hunter would blur. “Do you even want your soul back?”

“How does that have anything to do—” Sam found himself blindsided by the question as his face scrunched up slightly in confusion.

“Have you been to the place where Samuel takes them?” You cut off the man, having a few questions of your own that needed answers. “I mean, have you been in on these interrogations?”

“No,” Sam admitted, “but I hear—”

“And why? And did it ever occur to you that this is really shady?” Dean asked his little brother. “That maybe leaving Y/N out—your real family—would raise a few red flags in your head?”

“He’s our grandfather.” Sam said, as if he was some great guy he knew all of his life. “And Y/N doesn’t have to know about everything that we do.”

“Yeah. Yeah, a guy who talks a great game. But you can’t assume that family means the same thing to him as it does to us. He’s not Dad. And do you think it’s fair for Y/N? She’s the one who’s been busting her ass for Samuel. She’s been the one sticking around this whole time for you. She’s been trying to make sure you were okay. And you think it’s okay to lie to her like that?” Dean took you by surprise when he defended you. Sam, however, didn’t change his emotionless, blank stare. “Wow. You don’t see it, do you?”

“What?” The younger Winchester asked.

“You’ve got no instinct. I mean, you are seriously messed up.” Dean said. Sam mumbled a thanks underneath his breath, if he were his normal self, it would have been dosed in sarcasm. But he didn’t even try to show emotion anymore. “Nobody’s forcing you to work with me or Y/N. Okay? But if we do this, I drive the bus. I call the shots. And you tell me or Y/N everything whether it’s important or not. Because trust me, you can’t tell the difference. Or you know what? Go—Go work with Samuel. See how that goes. It’s up to you.”

 

Samuel’s game plan was stupid, it was reckless. And it went against everything that you knew a hunter stood up for. But you knew things today were far different from what you witnessed when you first started hunting. It was like these monsters were becoming more confident. Things were more violent, more troublesome than ever. If Sam wanted to play along with this little game, so be it. But you were getting yourself front and center on the action. You wanted to know what they were doing with them. So you could put a stop to it, of course. Monsters weren’t meant to be poked and studied. They were supposed to be hunted by people like you and killed, all before going off to wherever monsters go to rest their wicked souls.

\+ + +

You were still trying to figure out how you felt about the Campbells. You spent over a year now hunting with them, enjoying beers after a job well done and exchanging knowledge that each of you had discovered over the years of hunting and endless hours of research. They were almost like the Winchester family. Almost. If you pretended having one thing in common, being raised in this lifestyle at a very young age, could count for a stand in family. Much as you tried to warm up to the hunters, nobody was like the Winchester brothers you spent almost every waking moment with for over four years. Nothing was the same. Not even now felt like old times you’d longed to have back. The people you once surrounded yourself with were long gone.

Sam was a polar opposite of who he used to be when he came back to the cage without a soul. He was cold, emotionless. He made decisions on natural human intuition, or what would benefit him to get him closer to what he wanted. Cas wasn’t around anymore like he used to. While you were happy to see that he was back to his old self again, he was having problems upstairs that needed his constant attention. Dean had been trying since you and Sam started hunting again to get things back to the way it used to be. But even he caught on to the different circumstances that came with having two people come back from the cage—the secrets, the lying.

You were back at the Campbell compound after Dean thought Sam was really going to take up the offer to work with their grandfather on the project that he suggested, but never parttaked to see it what they did. It was all hearsay. You didn’t like what Sam was doing behind your back. You didn’t like how Sam had been lying to you, making you think all of the hard work you’d been putting into tracking down these Alphas was to kill them. After all, they were the monsters who had created the things you hunted today. These Alphas were supposed to die. Not to be poked at and inspect what sort of new things you might be able to learn after torturing them. If Samuel wanted to play the dirty game of how to make a monster squeal, you could lend a hand.

“Samuel?” You quietly spoke the older hunter’s name as you opened up the door to his office without announcing your presence again. Your lips stretched into an apologetic smile when you caught the man off guard. He stood at his desk with his back to the door, packing a duffel bag with objects that you couldn’t see.

“Damn, kid, learn how to knock.” Samuel muttered underneath his breath. You tell from the tone of his voice that the man was annoyed at how you didn’t follow his simple rules. He absentmindedly looked over his shoulder, expecting two towering bodies over yours, but you stood in the doorway of his office, alone. “Where are the boys?”

“Sam’s around here.” You said. “Dean’s…gone.”

“What do you mean, gone’?” Samuel asked, his eyes narrowing in slight confusion as to what you meant by that. 

“He left about an hour ago. Dean didn’t like how things changed between the three of us. And I agreed. I thought things would be better without him.” You explained the faulty story to the older hunter. Samuel didn’t seem all that disappointed to hear. He mumbled about how it was too bad as he circled around the table to continue packing. “I want to be apart of this family, Samuel. I really do. But the lying has got to stop.”

“What are you talking about, Y/N?” Samuel asked. He circled around the desk and continued on packing up his belongings, barely managing to look up and see what he was being accused of now by you.

“I know what you’re doing with the Alphas after you had me help track them down. I saw you today. Sam told me about your little plan, too.” You said. You got the hunter’s attention when you spoke a secrets he’s been keeping from you. He froze in his spot, waiting for the backlash. Instead, you gave him the opposite reaction of what he was expecting. “I want in.”

“In?” Samuel asked, pretending to play dumb by what you could have meant by that.

“On the interrogations. On everything. Out anyone here, I’ve got the skills to make those Alphas sing like a canary.” You said. You were proposing a deal you would have never agreed to on any other day. But you needed to get in there and see what they were doing with your own two eyes. “Sam and I both agree that this is us now. Dean was holding us back. Whatever you need, we’ll do it. No questions asked.”

“Yeah, I know you two will. You’ve been especially a good help, Y/N. And you’re right. I should have told you about what we’ve been doing.” Samuel said. You stood up straighter and waited for him to give you the directions, anything to help get to the interrogation. However, it seemed Samuel was ready just yet to let you in into his personal crowd. “But I can’t risk you going into a high stress situations like these interrogations. You know what happens if you get too stressed.”

You refrained yourself from lashing out at him from his poor excuse. You inhaled a deep breath as you tried to approach the argument with a calm tone. “It happened…what, a handful of times? And to be fair on my part, it was right when I came back from the dead. I’ve got it under control.“

“Don’t forget the vamps nest back when Dean got turned. You said so yourself to me that you don’t remember a thing. If it wasn’t for Dean, you would have been dead after that stunt you pulled.” Samuel might have been old, but he sure know how to try and win a fight. Mary had been a strong headed woman like yourself. She tried proving herself over and over again about how she could handle big hunts. You rolled your eyes and crossed your arms over your chest like how she used to. “Until we figure out what’s causing these blackouts of yours, and this soul business on top of it, you and Sam keep doing what you’re doing.”

“But I can—” You tried your hardest to try and get him to change his mind over something so stupid like your episodes that you thought had been triggered by stress. That’s what all of the neurologists told you after you visited at least half a dozen. Or maybe it was the fact that you were human for once in your new life. No special demon side to miraculously heal you.

“No. You can’t.” Samuel cut you off, knowing well enough his decision was for the best. You let out a sigh as you looked disappointed in yourself for the things in yourself that you couldn’t handle. “I’m sorry.”

You shook your head, mumbling that it was okay. You saw yourself out of the compound and left the older Campbell back to his packing, letting the man think you agreed to his plan. Little did he realize that Sam had been waiting for you outside, already ready for the second plan if the first one failed. He went through Samuel’s truck and pulled out of the many burner phones that the both of you could use to track him. If the man didn’t want to tell you where he was doing these interrogations, fine. You’d just follow him and see things close up and personal for yourself.

The both of you headed back to the Impala that was hidden from the compound to make sure your story was more believable. You slipped yourself into the backseat as Sa m took his rightful place in the passenger’s side. Dean had been absentmindedly staring out the driver’s side window, expecting you to be back at any moment, but it was the sight of his brother that took the man a bit by surprise. You leaned forward in your seat as you looked at Dean, the ends of your lips stretching into a smirk as he tried to play it cool.

“You didn’t think I’d come back with Y/N.” Sam guessed.

Dean shrugged his shoulders, “I figured, sixty-forty.”

“Well, you’re stuck with us. Samuel didn’t take the bait.” You said, reaching for your laptop that you had conveniently placed in the seat next to you. You opened it up and pulled the tracking website to help pinpoint where Samuel would be heading off to. "So we went with Plan B.”

“We had a Plan B?” Dean asked.

“Of course. Can’t be too careful.” You said. “I told Sam to fire up the GPS on one of his phones while I was talking to your grandfather. Should be able to track him the Alpha.”

“The old man won’t notice?” The older WInchester cautiously wondered.

“Trust me. He thinks Velcro is big news. That’s why I’ve been stuck doing the desk job. Man can barely work a microwave with cursing up a storm.” You said. You watched as the map you pulled up showed a blinking red dot. As it began to move, you turned your laptop around to show the brothers. “And this, boys, is why you keep me around.”

\+ + +

You and the boys tracked Samuel to a shady part of town, where nothing existed except for abandoned warehouses and a mile or two away from human civilization. It looked like the perfect spot to bring someone to have a nice, friendly chat. If the chat ended in them screaming and begging for their lives. Dean pulled the Impala up around the corner when the van Samuel had been driving pulled up to a doorway just across the way. The three of you were hidden just enough to watch the man and Christian disappear inside, having no clue they were being followed.

When the coast was clear, all of you headed to the door where you saw Samuel enter in. Dean tried opening the door, but it came as no surprise when he realized it was locked. As he pulled out his lock pick kit, you noticed something red was smeared across the metal door. You ran a finger across the substance and looked at in for a moment when you realized it was still wet.

“Dead man’s blood.” You noted, showing the boys what you discovered. “Smart move. Lock the place down with vamp repellent.”

Too bad the three of you had to ruin the fun. You and Sam inspected the area as Dean busied himself with working the lock before he successfully granted all of you entrance inside. You tightened your grip on the machete and followed inside, making sure the door quietly shut behind you before embarking on the journey into the warehouse. You expected this place to be crawling with hunters. But it seemed the place was eerily quiet the further you journeyed deeper into the place. For a few minutes you expected you might have gotten the wrong building. But when you heard footsteps coming up from a hallway just across the way and a flash of a familiar face, you knew someone was coming.

You and the boys quickly darted for a room on the right before Christian could spot you like you had done. You found a desk that was big enough for you and Dean to hide behind as Sam stuck himself behind a corner. Footsteps began to approach the room as expected and trailed off. But you weren’t in the clear just yet. You quieted down your breathing when Christian backtracked and found himself standing in the doorway of the room you and the boys were hiding in. It was a few moments before the man figured that he just heard something and he was off again, giving you the chance to finally get back to exploring the place. Of course you would have gladly accepted the challenge of knocking him out cold if need be.

The three of you headed back into the hallway when Christian was long gone. You traveled behind the boys and looked around at the bleek, gray concrete walls and surroundings that might have been a bit overwhelming to a normal person. To you, the further you traveled into this place, a sudden rush of deja vu hit you. It felt like you’ve been here before. Like you walked down these same halls on different occasions.

You furrowed your brow slightly as you rubbed your head, trying your hardest to get the feeling to go away. It was never a good sign when you felt the feeling come creeping back into you. For someone, the phenomenon was a weird feeling, a lapse of memories crashing together. For you, it meant another episode was threatening to come in. And it always chose the most inconvenient timing when you heard a familiar voice echo through the hall, making you realize you were closer than you anticipated.

“You’re seeing now how this shapes up is entirely up to you.”

It was Samuel. You and the boys approached a heavy iron door that must have held the big monster. Sam took one side as you stood close to Dean, who waited a moment before slowly pushing the sliding door to give the three of you a peek. You peered over the edge to see what was going on. Inside was Samuel, who stood with his back to the door, his full attention on the Alpha vampire, who was strapped down in a chair. For an added caution he was locked up in a large, intimidating looking cage. He didn’t seem bothered by his surrounding or the questions the hunter was asking him.

“Where is it?” Samuel asked the vampire. The monster remained silent. “Answer the question. Where is it? How do we find it?”

You took another peek around the door to see that Samuel wasn’t wasting any of his precious time by reaching for a button connected to the cage and powered up some machine that you couldn’t see. He slammed his palm against a button, and just a few moments later, a sudden burst of electricity ran through the vampire’s body from the iron nails they had jammed into his hands and feet You were expecting something to come out of the monster’s mouth. However, he sat there, not even blinking at what must have felt like a tickle to him. The vampire decided to have some fun for himself when he noticed that Samuel was pissed at the lack of reaction.

“Ouch. Stop.” The vampire sarcastically pleaded in a montone. “That hurts.”

Samuel slammed the button again, making the electricity stop. He stepped away and began to pace around the room a few times before turning his attention to the Alpha. “Now, this—this is Club Med compared to what we have planned for you.” The older hunter tried to tease the idea that they had more up their sleeve. The vampire merely looked away. “I got all the time in the world.”

“Well, that makes two of us.” The vampire remarked back.

The comment was enough to get under Samuel’s skin. He reached for a weapon on the table he was standing next to you and began to charge forward, but he changed his mind quickly after, knowing he couldn’t do anything. The vampire let out a laugh when the hunter threw the weapon back where he found it. Samuel decided that he had enough of this and exited the room. You looked back over at the boys when you heard the door shut. All of you were set on the idea of finding Samuel and asking him a few of your own questions. Before you could take a step, a voice called out to you, stopping you in your tracks.

“Are you three going to hide all night? Come on out.” The vampire said, deciding that it was the perfect time for the four of you to have a nice talk. You and the boys exchanged a look before you were opening up the door further to see the Alpha vampire himself. You stepped into the place they were keeping him, taking notice of how well they had him on lock down. But you didn’t loosen your grip on your machete as you approached him, making sure to leave enough distance to the door. Just in case the worst scenario happened. “How can I help you?” 

“We got some questions for you, Skippy.” Dean said as he slowly approached the cage. “Since you’re going nowhere fast.”

The vampire let out another chuckle, “Don’t be so sure.”

“Yeah? Locked down pretty tight. With dead blood rushing through your veins…not sure you got enough juice to fire up that psychic bat-signal of yours.” Dean said, knowing himself first hand of what the creature was capable of. Now what laid in front of him was a slightly weaker version of himself. But still strong enough to take care of himself. All it took was patience. Neither one of you noticed when the Alpha’s middle fingernail grew eerily long, slowly cutting away at the leather straps that kept him bond like an animal.

“True. Not near enough juice for that, Dean.” The Alpha agreed.

Dean grew a bit tense when he heard his name being spoken by the vampire, “Didn’t realize we were on a first-name basis.” 

 

“Of course we are. After all, you were my child for a time.” The vampire said, as if the memory had skipped your mind. Ever so slowly, his nail dragged itself across the leather. “Dean, tell me, did you enjoy it?”

“I’m asking the questions here, Fright Night.” Dean said. You looked away from the Alpha for a moment to see that Dean approached the cage. Deciding to try his hand at inflicting some sort of pain by pushing the same button Samuel had, letting a surge of electricity run through the cage again, but the vampire didn’t flinch. He didn’t react. All of this was child’s play compared to what he was planning.

“When your kind first huddled around the fire…I was the thing in the dark. Now you think you can hurt me?” The vampire asked. Dean powered down the machine once more when he realized it wasn’t worth the effort. A smirk spread across the monster’s lips when the man backed down. You began to slowly walk forward to the cage, curiosity beginning to peak your interest as to why Samuel was going through all of this effort to ask all these questions. “I have all night, kids. You do not. I’m happy to tell you whatever you want to know.”

“You seemed awfully quiet before.” You noted. “Why now?”

“Why?” The vampire repeated your question. You narrowed your eyes slightly when he decided to answer you with a threat that he thought he was going to make a reality. “Because soon I’ll be ankle deep in your blood…sucking the marrow from your bones.”

“So you’re really it.” Sam said. He stepped forward to the cage when he observed the monster for a few moments. He had never got to see an Alpha up close and personal before like this. It was always about the tracking and finding them off guard. All the lore he read about and the whispers the Campbells had spoke about, and here laid one, like a caged animal. Harmless as a hellhound with a muzzle. “The first of your species.”

“The very first.” The vampire said with pride in his voice.

“But if you’re the first, who made you?” Sam asked. 

“Well, we all have our mothers.” The vampire said. He stared at the three of you for a moment as his nail continued to slowly cut through the leather strap. Neither one of you took the time to notice what he was doing. “Even me.”

“What does that even mean?” You questioned the Alpha. His answer was a throaty laugh, which you didn’t find the least bit amusing. You rolled your eyes and decided to keep him up on his offer of answering any questions that you might have that pertained to the things you seen while hunting his children. “What’s with the big surge of vampires lately?”

“We’re going to war.” The Alpha said. Your facial expression dropped when you heard him give a response that you weren’t expecting to hear. It wasn’t that long ago you solved a problem with the same threat. Now another one landed right in your lap. And you wanted to shove it far away from you before you could learn anything else.

“What’s going on?” Sam questioned the vampire when the three of you weren’t getting any kind of useful information. “Why did Samuel bring you here?”

“You smell cold.” The Alpha said. You slowly looked away from the vampire and to the younger Winchester from what you heard. He noticed right away about how the younger Winchester was much different to his hot-blooded counterparts by simply the way his body had adjusted to something so small, but so significant in many different ways. “You have no soul. What an oddity. Do you feel how empty you are? What is it like to have no soul?”

“Answer my question.” Sam said.

“You first.”

“You’re the one in the cage.” 

“The thing about souls, if you’ve got one, of course, if they’re predictable. You die, you go up, or down. Where do my kind go?” The vampire asked, bringing up a few questions you never really took the time to think of before. What happens to the wicked when they finally get put down? Or the monsters who tried their hardest to live a quiet life in the shadows? They were granted an eternal blissfulness above. But they weren’t punished in the fiery pits below like humans. Dean rolled his eyes, not wanting to hear whatever kind of sermon the Alpha was preaching. “I’m trying to answer the question. Now, when we freaks die, where do we go? Not heaven, not hell, so?”

“Legoland?” Dean wondered with a sarcastic guess.

“Little rusty on our Dante, perhaps?”

You thought to yourself for a moment about how that had to do with anything. You had Heaven for those who lived a life of purity, hell for sinners who did unspeakable things during their time on earth. But there was one place that you’d only heard of as a myth. A place where people who weren’t innocent, yet still had some chance of redeeming themselves to be granted a spot in heaven. You looked over at the Alpha when you realized what he was hinting at. 

 

“Purgatory.” You muttered underneath your breath.

“Purgatory?” Dean repeated what you just said. “Puragorty’s real?”

“Oh, stupid cattle. Of course. And it is filled with the soul of every hungry thing like me that has ever walked this earth. Now, where is it? That is the mystery.” The Alpha explained to the three of you. “That is what your kind-hearted granddaddy is trying to beat out of me.”

"Samuel brought you here to find out where puragory is?” You asked him for clarification, but you were finding yourself suddenly overwhelmed with questions at what you were finding out.

“I keep telling him, ‘How would I know such a thing?’” The Alpha shrugged as he pretended to act clueless, but you could see right through his act. Something powerful as him would know, he had to. “But he refuses to untie me.”

“You know exactly where it is.” You accused him. You stepped closer to the cage until you were just a foot away from the bars, wanting to get to the bottom of this once and for all. “Why does Samuel care so much about this?”

“He doesn’t care.” The Alpha answered you. “He does as he is told.”

Someone else was pulling at the man’s strings and making him do all of this. All the lying, all the secrets was because the man was doing exactly what his boss wanted. You slowly looked over at the boys when you began to wonder what kind of leverage Samuel’s boss had against him to make him do this. And if this mysterious person you’ve never heard of before until now was the exact same one who had pulled the man out of his spot in heaven. Along with you and Sam.

“Well if the old man’s Kermit,” Dean said, “Whose hand’s up his ass?”

You could feel your jaw tightening from the circumstances you had let yourself be apart of for this entire year. Samuel used you and Sam for his own benefit. And you were about to give him hell when you found him. But it seemed the man was already one step ahead of you. The sound of a gun clicking into place made you look over your shoulder to see the man himself. You could feel yourself white-knuckling the grip around the machete when you saw Samuel standing there with a few of his men.

You and the boys had no choice but to surrender. You unwillingly tossed your machete and any sort of weapon you were carrying to the floor when you were escorted back to the hall. But you didn’t need a knife or a gun to kill Samuel. If Christian wasn’t pointing his gun at you, you’d make your move and show him how you felt about this entire situation.

“You know, I have seen some stupid in my time, but you take the crown.” Dean said. He was the one who spoke his mind as his lips partly into a smirk as he laughed about the situation his own grandfather put himself into. But there was nothing funny about this. “Putting Jaws in a fishbowl? How do you think that’s gonna end? I don’t know what kind of game—”

“You think I’m doing this for kicks?” Samuel cut off his grandson when he was being accused of something that painted him like the villain here.

“I think you’ve got these feebs convened you’re John Wayne.” Dean said. He took a step or two closer to the man, showing his grandfather that things were only going to end up deadly if he kept up this little side project that he’d been keeping a secret from all of you for however long he had been. “So whatever you’re doing, whatever you’re hiding…it’s gonna put you and everyone around you in the ground.”

Samuel didn’t seem to find his grandson’s words all that helpful, in fact, they crawled under his skin, making him step forward to the man and reach out an arm. You took it as an opportunity to grab the loaded shotgun out of his grip when he made the mistake of outstretching his arm where you were standing. Sam roughly threw Christian against the wall and unarmed him as Dean shoved Samuel against the opposite wall. He tried to reach down to grab his gun and load the clip back into the chamber, but before he could, the three of you froze in your spot, hearing the sound of a gun cocking in place. You let out a sigh as you looked down the hall to see Gwen standing there with a smirk on her lips and a loaded gun she was pointing in your direction.

It seemed everyone in the Campbell family was onto this situation, except for you and the boys. All of you were at a crossroads of what to do now the truth was out there. But things you wanted to discuss with Samuel would have to wait when you heard a scream of terror echo through the warehouse, coming from the same room where the Alpha and one of Samuel’s men were. You had a feeling that it wasn’t good. Samuel let out a sharp sigh from what he heard and nodded his head to your belongings and told you to grab them. He needed all the backup for what all of you were were about to discover.

You followed behind as all of you headed back into the interrogation room to see a sight of one dead hunter, his body sprawled on the blood and his blood in a puddle at your feet. But the most unsettling sight of all was a cage now empty, an Alpha vampire that could easily escape his surroundings wasn’t good. You let out a frustrated sigh of your own as you rubbed your eyes, feeling a sudden headache settling into the front of your head at the situation you had on your hands. As if things couldn’t get any worse. They always did.

“How much dead man’s blood we got left?” Samuel asked. Christian pulled out all of two syringes from his pocket to show his uncle.

“I see you guys are really planning for situations like this.“ You muttered underneath your breath, rolling your eyes at the situation that wasn’t ideal. But it was six hunters against one Alpha, not mention of the dead man’s blood they had running through his veins before. "How long until the Alpha’s a hundred percent?”

“An hour, maybe less.” Samuel said. “We need to get him back in the cage.”

“No. I don’t know what your plan was, but catch is not on the table. Take off the head, or it kills us all. You know what.” Dean said, taking control of the situation before one of you would end up dead end up next to complete a task that was impossible. Samuel looked at his grandson for a moment. He wasn’t happy at the new plan, but he agreed. They already lost one person. All of you couldn’t risk losing another. “Okay. We split up, clear every room. You get a shot, take it. It’s not gonna kill him…but the dude will move slower. And if we make it through this, you, me, Y/N and Sam—we are gonna have one hell of a family meeting.”

Even though there was six of you and one vampire, the odds were working against you the more time slipped past and the dead man’s blood vanished from his system. He could be hiding anywhere. You hoped one of you was fast enough to take his head off before you were next on the menu. Everyone tried to stay in groups to keep each other safe. You stayed with Dean as Sam stuck around with Gwen, leaving Christian and Samuel to fend for themselves.

You wandered through the warehouse with caution and looked over your shoulder, making sure the Alpha didn’t take you by surprise. Your life could never be simple as hunting down monsters and traveling around with the boys. No. It was always about the bigger picture, a fight that you didn’t want to be apart of and asking questions about where someone’s soul was and why Samuel was looking for the afterlife. You tightened your grip around your machete when you rounded the corner and took another part of the building without backup. You anticipated for a gruesome sight, but what you saw made you exhale a breath you didn’t realize you had been holding

“Any luck?” You asked the three men standing in front of you.

Christian shook his head and dropped his weapon for a moment, “You think he ran out?”

The possibility seemed likely if you captured any other vampire, but with someone powerful as the Alpha, he wouldn’t leave any survivors. You had a feeling he was in here in the shadows, waiting until he was strong enough again to attack. But you didn’t realize when you turned your head to look out into the hallway, in which you were just a few moments, that he was bold enough to make his move quicker than you thought. Your eyes widened slightly as you opened your mouth to warn the man that the Alpha was right behind him. But the only thing that came out of your mouth next was a gasp when you heard the sound of Christian neck snapping like a twig when the Alpha twisted it at an angle that didn’t look good.

Samuel didn’t waste a second in seeking vengeance when his nephew dropped to the ground. He pointed his gun straight at the Alpha and pulled the trigger, but it did nothing to stop the monster. The Alpha threw the hunter across the room and went straight after Sam when the man tried to take him down himself, only to be failed when the vampire was too powerful. You weren’t going to fall victim as you swung your machete at him, trying to at least get any sort of hit in to make him weaker. Your attempts went farther than anyone else, but you weren’t successful as you wanted.

You suddenly felt a grip around your throat and your backside being pressed against the wall. Your machete dropped to the ground when the Alpha had you exactly where he wanted. You could feel his grip tightened even more, cutting off any sort of air to your lungs. His lips stretched into a smirk when he saw you struggling to keep consciousness.

“The boy with no soul and the girl who they me I should be afraid of. Oh, no. I’ve got big plans for the both of you. Especially you, Y/N.” He whispered to you, but you didn’t understand what he was saying as the dull ache in your lungs began to grow. “It’s amazing how that pesky little soul gets in the way. But not for you two. You will be the perfect animal.”

The Alpha’s mouth turned into fangs and got ready to do the deed, but if he only knew that was as far as he’d ever go. Out of nowhere, he suddenly felt a sharp pain in the crook of his neck and a sudden rush of poison race through his veins. Your body dropped to the ground when you felt the grip around your throat be released. Sam rushed to his feet when he noticed that, out of all the people who went in to save the day, was someone he saw get killed just a few moments ago. Christian stood with an empty syringe that once held dead man’s blood, his eyes painted black as the dark soul that took over his body.

But he wasn’t working alone. Everything happened so fast after that. Dean and Gwen made it back to the room when they heard all sorts of ruckus. They stumbled upon the sight of the Alpha cornered with no way to go with Christian. But he had the help of a few friends they never seen before. Before either one of them could figure out what was going on, just like that, they were gone. All that remained was the five you.

Dean found his attention wandering away from the sight that he’d just witnessed when he noticed you were lying on the ground, not moving after being attacked by the Alpha. He began to think of the worst when he dropped himself down to your level and began whispering your name in a worried tone. He cupped your face with his hands and tried to wake you when he felt a pulse beating against his fingers when he checked, worried that you might have suffered a fatal disaster after going at it with the Alpha.

“Come on, sweetheart.” Dean muttered to you. “Snap out of it.”

You began to slowly come back around when you heard his voice. He watched as your eyes began to move back and forth from behind your eyelids. You moved your head up by yourself as you finally opened your eyes. He was expecting to see you, but what he saw staring back at him took him by complete surprise. Your lips stretched into a smirk as your eyes were black as night. Black as a demon he thought you wouldn’t come back as.

Dean always carried the demon knife with him, never knowing when black-eyed sons of bitches like the one he thought cruising around in your body liked to show up. He pulled it out and got ready to threaten the demon inside of you, but before he could, Samuel managed to stop him.

“Don’t.” Samuel warned his grandson. “It’s not a demon. It’s still her—It’s Y/N.”

“Think you could get rid of me that easy?” You whispered to him as you let out a quiet chuckle from seeing his reaction. “Oh, no.”

The older Winchester thought things couldn’t get any worse. He thought it was bad enough that his brother was without a soul, he’d been turned a vampire for a short time and his grandfather turned out to be a liar who had been lying to the three of you for weeks now. Now you stood in front of him, his mind swimming with all thoughts to how this happened. How Cas didn’t realize you came back from the cage a demon. A slow clapping sound coming from across the room caused the hunter to turn his gaze away from you, and to a sight of someone from your past that he thought he’d never see again.

There stood on top of the metal staircase was the demon who had been the one who had been the one who gave Ella her second deal. The one who help try take down the Devil with the three of you. And the son of a bitch who kept Bobby’s soul after promising to return it. Crowley, the king of the Crossroads, graced all of you with his presence. "Well, that was a bit dramatic.”

\+ + +

The Winchester brothers have dealt with their fair share of demons that liked to cause a little trouble and raise some hell. Ruby, a black-eyed bitch who fooled all of you into doing exactly what triggered the apocalypse, was the worst of them all. Each of them were the exact same. Greedy, manipulative, each of them weren’t afraid to get their hands dirty for Lucifer. But not every demon shared a soft spot for their father. There was one demon that could see past sweet talk Lucifer was preaching to his children. Crowley was one of the very rare exceptions that you found yourself trusting…just enough to see what he could offer you.

Once upon a time, Crowley used his abilities of being King of the Crossroads to save his own ass from extinction if Lucifer got his own way of ending the world. He went as far as trying to help you stop yourself from becoming a demon, a problem he helped create by sheer accident. He was a businessman, after all. He looked for any opportunity to keep himself on top and hell nice and populated. Bagging the souls of Ella Y/L/N and her daughter was a very big deal. Little did he realize his own arrogance would be his downfall. He tried with you and the boys to change fate before running off, never to be heard from again. Until this very moment. Something was going on here. And Dean didn’t like this situation one bit.

“Hello, boys.” Crowley greeted the brothers when they finally tore their gaze away from you. You pushed yourself up to your feet and brushed off the invisible dirt off your clothes. Blinking, your eyes went back to normal, but the cruel smirk on your lips never left. “What an unexpected treat. I wasn’t expecting see you so soon.”

Normally this was the part where Dean would give a sarcastic remark or ask what the actual hell was going on here. Dean only managed to blink. For once in his life, he didn’t have anything to say. He felt overwhelmed with what was standing right in front of him. You were supposed to be human. There was no way possible you came back from the cage as a half demon. You took all the possible precautions to make sure this never happened again. You stabbed yourself with the demon knife. You went to hell with an angel’s grace wrapped tightly around your dark little soul, the same kind that Crowley himself had given you. It might have been Lucifer’s last trick in attempting to turn you, but it was supposed to work. Apparently it didn’t.

Sam didn’t feel any emotional reaction to what he was seeing. All he had was questions as to why he was seeing a demon like Crowley make his way to the five of you. And how he didn’t know that you were still holding such a darkness inside of you. Before Sam could ask what was going on, his grandfather only seemed worried about getting his nephew back in one piece.

“Bring Christian back now.” Samuel ordered at the demon. Crowley looked at the hunter with a bit of a funny expression, pretending not to understand what the man wanted. “My nephew. The one you just crammed a demon into!”

“No, I had him possessed ages ago.” Crowley said. You looked over at Samuel to watch as his expression began to drop ever so slightly from the realization of what was going on here. And what kind of trouble he put him and his own family into. “Samuel, really. I keep an eye on my investments.”

“Whoa, whoa, whoa. Can someone tell me what the hell is going on here?!” Dean questioned the demon. He had too many questions to ask from what was quickly unraveling. He pointed his machete at his grandfather, deciding to start with him first. “You two know each other?”

“Not in the biblical sense.” Crowley said. “More of a business relationship, I’d say.”

“Someone drew the short end of the stick when it came to making deals with demons.” You said, giving some insight to what was going on here. You crossed your arms over your chest as you looked at the older man. “He’s Crowley’s bitch.”

“It’s not what you think.” Samuel mumbled, trying to defend himself to his grandsons before they could get the wrong impression.

“It’s precisely what you think.” Crowley said. This situation was black and white, with trouble all over it. “That Alpha’s he’s caught me is getting him a gold star.”

“Since when do you give a crap about vampires?” Dean asked the demon.

“Since, uh…What’s today? Friday?” Crowley pretended to think for a long moment to answer the man’s question as he walked over to the older Winchester. He pointed a finger at the man’s chest and looked up at him. “Since, let’s see, mind your business.”

“You may as well share with the class, Crowley.” Sam said, following the demon as he began to walk himself out. But the man had questions of his own that demanded answers. “We know you’re looking for Purgatory.”

“So you heard about that?” The demon wondered.

“Yeah.” The younger Winchester said. “You wanna tell us why?”

“Isn’t it obvious? Location, location, location.” Crowley answered. All of the hunters tried to think of what a demon like Crowley would need to find a place like he. He rolled his eyes, deciding to explain himself a bit better for their tiny brains to understand. “I’m a developer. Purgatory is vast, underutilized and hell-adjacent, and I want it.”

“What for?” Dean questioned him, yet again.

“Best shut your gob.” Crowley said. “Don’t question management.” 

Dean scoffed, “We aint’ your employees.”

“Of course you are. Have been for some time, thanks to gramps. Oh, and remember that little deal Y/N and I hatched up for a little bit of angel grace? I didn’t do it out of the kindness of my heart. We had specific rules.” Crowley said. The brothers didn’t know who they should have been angry at first with from what they were hearing. Their gaze slowly wandered over to their grandfather when Crowley continued speaking about him. “I don’t keep Captain Chromedome around for his wit, do I? Samuel knows things. More than any of you, actually. Walking encyclopedia of the creepy and crawly.”

“And what about Y/N?” Dean asked the demon. “What do you want with her?”

“I get to relieve some stress when all the dirty work is complete.“ You answered the man’s question, making his gaze follow over back to you. "Crowley needed someone to get these Alphas to spill where Purgatory is. And I was itching to practice with all the fun things I learned in hell.”

“But I knew she wouldn’t do it willing, so I took the liberty of making a few exceptions to our deal. Her demon side is totally and completely loyal to me. And only me.” Crowley explained the situation that had been going on here for the past year and a half. Dean stared at the demon with a glare so vicious, it was almost like the older Winchester wanted him to drop dead. “Don’t get your knickers all in a twist. Her human side belongs to you. I have no desire for it. You three are so hung up on family loyalty nonsense, Samuel said jump, you’d get froggy.”

“Yeah, well, game’s over.” Dean said. His lips stretched into a grim smile when he began to think that this situation with you could have been easily solved. Cas would know what to do to make you human again. “You’re not the first demon we’ve broken deals with.”

“Afraid it’s not that easy.” Crowley said. “Not if you want to see Sam’s soul again.”

“You’re bluffing.” Sam muttered underneath his breath.

Crowley looked over to the older Campbell, “Tell them, Samuel.”

Samuel suddenly felt himself being thrust into the spotlight when he felt several pairs of eyes on him, demanding the truth. His own flesh and blood looked at him, hoping what the demon was saying was nothing but a bunch of lies. The hunter wanted it to be. But it wasn’t from what he admitted to. “He pulled us back. Me, Y/N and Sam.”

“What?” Sam asked, sounding shocked at what he heard. “You knew?”

 

“No. Cas said it takes big-time mojo to pull that off.” Dean said, thinking he found the lie that the demon was trying to spin. “And you’re a punk-ass crossroads demon.”

“Was a punk-ass crossroads demon. Now? King of hell. Believe me, I’ve got the mojo. I snap my fingers, Sam gets his soul back. And if you two play along long enough and do what I say, Y/N returns back to normal. Or you can run your big mouths like a bunch of preteens, tell Y/N about her split personality. But if she finds out what she does in our free time, the consequences aren’t pretty.” Crowley said, giving the brothers the gritty details. “How does shoving Sam back in the hole sound? And Y/N….well, I haven’t decided yet. I know it ends with her dying and SAm seeing the favorite Michael and Lucifer again. Can’t imagine what it’s like in there. And I can imagine so many things. Y/N’s given me a nice visual.”

The set of rules were easy enough for even the dumbest of idiots to follow. And the boys were no strangers to keeping secrets from each other. But it was them devoting themselves to Crowley that made their skin craw uncomfortably. “So, we clear? Me Charlie, you angels. Job’s simple enough. Bring me creatures. Aim high on the food chain, please. And when it comes to Y/N’s extra curricular activities…Ignorance is bliss. Everybody wins.” The demon looked at each of you, taking the glares as a sign that the hunters understood the rules. “It’s been a pleasure. See you soon.”

Crowley disappeared from sight when the rules were set in place, leaving no room for anyone to think of a plan. The four hunters stood in silence for a moment, Samuel feeling overwhelmed with guilt of the things he kept from his own family as the boys shared a look of concern at what they heard. Gwen, however, felt like she was the last person being told anything. She looked over at you and stared for a few seconds. She would have never suspected you were harboring a dark side. She didn’t know if she should attack you. Or try and figure out what was really going on are.

“What are you?” Gwen couldn’t help herself but ask.

“What does it look like? I’m a demon.“ You said. Your eyes flickered back to the malevolent black color Gwen only seen in things that she was told to hunt. She instinctively reached for her weapon, but three pairs of eyes warned her not to. “Like Gramps over there, I made a deal with Crowley. But this was before any of us were brought back from the dead. I needed something to make me human…ish. I didn’t want to go all the way. I liked being different. However, little miss goody two shoes asked to have all her human emotions along with all these nifty demon powers. I could’ve done without. Beggars can’t be choosers.”

"So you’re willingly working with Crowley? Someone who help put Daddy Dearest into the cage?” Dean asked. He felt a bit odd talking to you with a side he’d only really seen once. And that was something he never wanted to see again. You answered him by shrugging your shoulders. “What’s with the change of heart?”

“It’s not like I have a choice. He’s got me trapped in my own skin. Torturing those Alphas is the only thing I have to look forward to. But don’t worry. I’ve worked out the fact that Lucifer can rot in the cage where he belongs. I’m…the improved me. Let’s just say you and I both want the same thing.” You told the older Winchester. He looked at you with a confused expression at what you meant by that. Your lips stretched into a faint smirk as you looked at the three other hunters. “I’ll see the four of you around. And you might want to be ready. This part can be a bit dramatic.”

You blinked again to make your eyes return back to their normal shade. The boys wondered if you would return back to your old self as well. But they were mistaken. Your eyes rolled up into the back of your head as your knees buckled out from underneath you. If Dean wasn’t standing near you, your body would have fell to the ground. He managed to catch you just in time. Dean tried to somehow wake up, not sure of what the hell was going on anymore. But you wouldn’t budge so easily.

“Leave her be, Dean. She’ll be fine in a couple of hours.” Samuel reassured his oldest grandson. Everyone looked over at him, all with the same degree of disgusted glares at what unfolded. The man let out a quiet sigh and turned his attention to Gwen, who looked ready to rip the man apart from all the secrets he kept from her. And the fact that she’d been working with a demon, of all things. “Nothing changed between all of us. We hunt. Period. Don’t worry about Crowley, I’ll take care of him.”

Gwen stared at the man for a few moments. Her lips pursed out as she contemplated for a long moment to say something. But she chose not to. She exhaled a breath as she turned around to listen to Samuel’s request of bringing the van around and helping get things packed up. Samuel ignored the two lingering stares as he started shoving all sorts of objects back into his duffel bag. Sam stepped forward, deciding to ask his own grandfather a few questions from what he just witnessed.

“Working with a demon, huh?” Sam asked. He stared at the man who he’d work side by side with for months. If Dean wasn’t here, the younger Winchester wouldn’t have hesitated in putting a bullet in his grandfather’s head. “You’re not who I thought you were.”

“You don’t know anything about me, son.” Samuel said. He grabbed his duffel bag from the table and started to head to the door, but was stopped when the younger Winchester got in his way.

“So, what’s so important that you’re the king of hell’s cabana boy, huh? Or the fact that you neglected to tell any of us about what he did to Y/N.” Dean said. He shifted your unconscious body so he was now carrying you. He stared at his grandfather as he raised a brow slightly, wanting to get to the bottom of this. “What’d he offer you? Girls? Money? Hair?”

“I got my reasons. Now, if you boys want to make a move, go ahead. I’m not gonna do anything to you.” Samuel said. “You boys…you’re my family. I’d do anything fo you kids. Why do you think I’ve been trying to keep Y/N away from all of this? The less she knows the better. All of us are gonna have to start doing things we don’t want. But the way I see it, you’ve got two choices: Put a bullet in your grandfather, or step aside.“

Sam didn’t hesitate when he pulled out his gun and pointed it at his grandfather’s head. Dean shook his head, knowing it wasn’t the right thing to do. Sam knew his brother wanted him to be honest with everything that he was thinking to see if it was right or wrong. But Dean would have agreed there was a price to pay for lying “He sold us out.”

“I know. Let it go.” Dean mumbled. He knew right now wasn’t the time for his grandfather to get what was coming to him. There’d be a time and a place. But right now wasn’t it. The both of them had much bigger problems to deal with. “Get out of here.”

Samuel slowly looked over at the boys for a moment before he did what he was told. The brothers watched as their grandfather disappeared from sight, leaving them stuck in a situation that was worse than Sam without a soul. Now you were dealing with the aftermath of hell, and stuck with another personality that only came out when Crowley wanted. The real kicker was that you had no clue what was going on. Sometimes ignorance wasn’t always that blissful.

“So, what now?” Sam asked the most important question of all.

“We can’t work for Crowley. And there’s no way I’m letting this whole Y/N Jekyll and Demon Hyde go on any longer than it has to.” Dean said. Sam looked at his brother, asking if he was sure about that. “I don’t think you understand. What happens if Y/N figures out somehow what’s going on? Demon’s bone you every time.”

“Oh, no, I get it. I do. Believe me. Just running the math here. Do we have another choice?” Sam wondered, trying to be logical about this situation. Dean suggested the possibility of stabbing Crowley in the throat. “And get my soul back how? I’m sure Cas can figure out a way to fix Y/N back to normal again. I’m just saying. Seems we gotta play ball. At least for the moment.”

“I guess you’re right.” The oldest Winchester mumbled. “I gotta say, I have done some stupid things in my time, but punching a demon’s clock?”

“Look. Just until we find another way. Then, when all of this is said and done, we track Crowley down, give that son of a bitch what’s coming to him.” Sam’s said. The younger Winchester’s plan sounded like a good one at the time. But his brother began to grow hesitant as his gaze fell down to you. There were so many risks playing this game. And it was what they were going to have to do if they wanted to bring down the new king of hell. Only if the both of them were going to be on the same page. “You with me, Dean?”

\+ + +

The boys decided it’d be best to check into a motel to play it safe, making sure to book the usual two rooms. But Dean didn’t see much of the one that he was supposed to be sharing with his brother, he hadn’t left your side since he gotten you comfortable in bed. It’d been a few hours since they’d wrapped up things with Samuel and found out the secret of what really was going on here. You hadn’t come back around after your little fit. Dean sat himself down on a chair right across from the bed and fixed himself a drink, thinking he deserved it after tonight. He tried passing the time by praying to Cas, but the angel was silent tonight. Dean decided that he would have to wait for another night to bug the poor guy.

Dean was halfway through his drink, no more than a few sips left, when he saw you finally coming back around. He pushed himself up to his feet when he saw you slowly shift around in bed, and he was sitting right next to you before you even opened up your eyes. He shifted himself slightly out of the way so you had some room to push yourself in a sitting position. You rested an arm behind you as the other rubbed your eyes, feeling like you were waking up from a deep slumber. You dropped your arm to your lap and blinked, ever so slowly, you began to inspect your surroundings. The first sight you were greeted with was of Dean’s concerned expression that changed into a warm smile.

“Hey,” You mumbled, your lips stretching into a lazy smile as you looked away from him when you quickly noticed that you were in somewhere completely different. It wasn’t hard to figure out that you weren’t in the warehouse anymore, but in a motel room. Your throat felt awfully sore as your thoughts began to feel a little bit less cloudy. You began to think about the events leading up to finding yourself waking up in bed, but nothing made sense. Your head didn’t hurt like the usual times of someone bashing your skull. You just felt tired. "What happened?”

“You tell me. One minute you’re fine, and then the next you were out like a light.” Dean said. You furrowed your brow slightly in confusion as to what must have happened. You began to think for a moment, trying to remember the events leading to unconsciousness, but there was nothing. It was like your mind was wiped clean of a memory. Unless…you let out a quiet sigh as you closed your eyes, knowing well enough what happened. “Samuel told me a bit of what’s been going on with you and these little episodes you’ve been having since coming back.”

“To be fair, it’s been a long time since it happened.” You said, looking back over at the man as you began to expect some kind of disapproving look from him at what must have happened. It wasn’t the best time to choose a fainting spell while you were hunting an Alpha vampire. You suddenly sat up in bed, a memory crossing your mind about what must have happened before you blacked out. “Wait! What happened? Where’s the Alpha? Is everyone okay?”

“Everyone’s fine, that vamp’s somewhere getting what he got coming to him.” Dean reassured you from thinking the worst happened. You wanted to feel like the situation was easy as that, but the look on the man’s face told a different story. It was like he was told a bit of bad news, and he was trying to figure out a way to break it to you. You narrowed your eyes slightly on him as you mumbled his name, wondering what was going on. "Y/N, what exactly do you remember about tonight?”

“Uh, I remember Samuel and the Alpha…that creepy looking cage.” You mumbled, recollecting on the memories that still felt a little blurry in your memory. You began to piece everything together slowly before you remembered something else that was still confusing. “There was something about Purgatory. And Samuel wanted to find it. Which doesn’t make sense. He’s never mentioned it to me. Is that why he was so obsessed with finding all those other Alphas?”

“Not exactly.” Dean said ever so quietly. You looked at him a bit funny when the man grew apprehensive. He looked around the room, down to his cup, before back to the wall. He finally moved his gaze back over to you when he changed the subject. "Y/N, how long have these blackouts of yours been going on?”

“Ever since I came back from the cage. It’s not really that big of a deal. Now, what’s going on with those whole situation?” You asked him, not sure why he was reflecting back on a subject matter that, to you, didn’t seem all that important. If only you knew. Dean gave you a serious expression, you rolled your eyes. You decided that it if you wanted your relationship to improve, the truth would be a good place to start with. “When I was little, I used to get these small fits where I’d zone out for a few minutes before I’d snap out of it on my own. My mom wasn’t really that concerned, until, she couldn’t get me out of one. She took me to all these special doctors Nobody knew what was going on with me. Some thought I was faking it, that was, until one day I just…blacked out.”

"Why didn’t you ever tell me about this?” Dean asked, you shrugged your shoulders.

“It was something that I thought I grew out of. My mom had a history of epilepsy in her family. A lot of the doctors thought it was something called absence seizures. Basically you just stare off into space before coming back around. They thought from everything that happened to me when I was a kid, from the moving and my dad suddenly passing, my episodes were a lot worse than most. I stopped having them when I was about six. But now that I’m human…I think I’m getting them again.“ You explained to him. Dean took the information in, and before he could suggest anything stupid, you quickly brought the conversation back to what you were most concerned about. "What’s going on with Samuel? Why does he want to find out where Purgatory is?”

“He doesn’t. Samuel’s been working with someone else. And they’ve got a hand so far up the old man’s ass, he’s been doing just about everything this other guy wants.” It was Dean’s turn to explain what he learned while you were out of it. He wanted to tell you so much more, but he bit his tongue, afraid of the consequences. So he told much as he could. “He’s been working for Crowley. for this past year. Sam didn’t even know.”

“Wait, what?” You asked. You were just confused as he was from the information that you were hearing as your mind went straight to the same theory Dean had at the time. “What, did he offer Samuel a full head of hair if he did? I mean, that is the jackpot of souls to make him look good. But why would a crossroads demon like Crowley want to find it?”

“Oh, did I forget to mention? Dude got a mighty fine promotion. He was a punk-ass crossroads demon. Now? Punk ass king of hell.” Dean said. Your mouth parted open slightly as you looked at him with a funny expression, not sure how you wanted to react. But the man wasn’t done talking, it seemed he had another bomb to drop on you. “On the bright side of things, we figured out who brought you and Sam back from the dead.”

“Who…Oh. Oh, no.“ You mumbled underneath your breath, seeming to understand who was to blame. Dean watched as your facial expressions began to change from confusion, all to looking like a deer in headlights. He swallowed slightly as you began to remember what you did before to cement a chance to make yourself human. He was expecting for you to come out with the truth that you weren’t supposed to know. You rubbed your temples as you shut your eyes, turning the direction of the conversation into something he could handle. “It only makes sense. I opened my big, fat mouth and promised to do whatever his royal highness wanted. This isn’t good. And as usual, Y/N screws things up.”

“You can’t blame yourself for everything, sweetheart. You didn’t know. Besides, I think Samuel’s not telling us everything. There’s more to this than he’s leading on. But Sam and I agreed on one thing. We’ll play along for a little while until we find a way to get his soul back. And once we do, it’s lights out for Crowley.” Dean said. Your lips stretched into a faint smile, but you let out a sigh from what was unraveling. One minute you were looking for answers, but when you did, oh how things could change. He reached out a hand to tuck a piece of hair behind your ear, the simple act of kindness took you a bit by surprise. “I’d wish you told me sooner about everything.”

"I know. I’m sorry about that, like the billion other times I’ve said. I really do mean it. I should have just came out with the truth. And that’s what I’m going to do from now on. If we want to get everything back to normal, it’s the truth.” You said, deciding that the past few days was another rock bottom that you and Dean hit. The both of you agreed that you still loved one another, and you wanted things to go back to normal. And in time, they would. “No more lying, no more secrets. We’re going to be brutally honest with each other. Even if it kills us.”

Dean winced slightly at your poor choice of words, but you didn’t notice. He finished the rest of his drink and pushed himself up to his feet. “I can agree to that, sweetheart. And I don’t know about you, but it’s been a night.” He said. “I should let you get some rest, I’m sure tonight was hard. We’ll pick things tomorrow.“

You nodded your head in agreement, trying to keep things normal as possible between the both of you. Dean thought to himself about getting a drink as you followed in his actions by getting up from the bed. He looked down to see that you were standing right next to him. It was funny how a simple way of how the fluorescent light was hitting you and your messy bedhead made you look beautiful, just enough to make his heart race. Maybe it was out of fear for the promise that he was already breaking. Maybe it was the fact that you really did love him, and he’d loved you just as much back. And with the simple slip of the tongue, you could be taken away from him.

"Remember, Dean…” Your voice broke the man’s concentration away from the back of your head to see that you were staring at him now. Dean could feel himself inhaling a sharp breath at the sight of two inky black eyes staring back at him. What was even more frightening was the gash that went from ear to ear, dripping of blood. Your lips stretched into a haunting smirk from his reaction as you slyfully winked. “Snitches get stitches.”

Dean swallowed as he blinked, hoping what he saw was just some trick his mind was playing on him. And it was. He saw you standing there with a concerned expression and a normal eye shade He let out a breath and shook his head, mumbling that he needed a drink. Without a thought, he bent over and kissed you on the forehead, muttering into your hair of how much he loved you. Dean headed back over the table to fill his glass, leaving you to feel a sense of relief for yourself. Things were improving, you told yourself. It would only a matter of time until everything was back to normal.


	7. Caged Heat

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: Demon!Reader, mentions of violence and torture.

“I told you, I don’t know anything about—”

It was the same excuse, the same song and dance you’ve heard a million times before from the monsters that came before him. You raised a brow as you stared down at the Alpha shifter at your mercy. The last time you and him had encountered each other you had something he wanted, little Bobby John. A six-month old baby boy who was too much trouble than what it was worth. It was your human side’s fault for letting him and his father get away. But here the both of you were again. Your lips stretched into a smirk as you listened to him try to backpedal his way out of his situation. He had nowhere to go, no chance to slip away.

You pretended to listen to the Alpha beg for his life as you looked over at the sort of weapons that you had to play with. Most of them were useless. It was like trying to cut flesh with a butter knife. You decided to go for something a bit more practical when you grabbed a metal baseball bat and pretended to practice a few swings before taking him by surprise, hitting directly at his head, using enough force to hear a faint cracking sound of bone coming from his skull. You let the baseball bat rest against your shoulders as you stared at the Alpha dressed like the King of Hell himself. You blinked once to let the Alpha stare into your black, emotionless eyes.

“Sorry, but your exceptional good looks aren’t gonna buy you any mercy. I suggest you talk.” The King of Hell himself stood behind the Alpha. You preferred to work alone, he insisted on making sure the job was done right. “Trust me, mate. This is foreplay compared to what she’s gonna do.”

Both of you were doing everything that you could to try and break the shifter down. You’d beaten him, tried to make a deal with him to make the torture stop, but nothing. You wiped the bloody bat across the once starch white apron apron to wipe away the Alpha’s blood before throwing it across the room, letting it fall to the ground with a few loud thuds before settling. You looked back over at the shifter and blinked, your eyes returning back to normal as your patience began to stretch thin.

“What should we use next, Crowley?” You asked the demon. You rested your hands on your hips and stared at the Alpha while a rolling table full of all sorts of tools awaited you to play with. “How do you feel about the speculum? Or something more…exotic?”

“Look, it’s Purgatory. All I know is I go there when I die.” The Alpha said, trying one last time to try and save his ass from being put on the chopping block. You ignored what he had to say and looked over at the sharp objects, your fingers danced over them, wondering what you could use. “It’s not like I can draw you a map.”

“I happen to know you can.” Crowley said, calling bluff on what the shifter was trying to pass as the truth.

The Alpha narrowed his gaze on his doppelgänger, not falling for the accusation his fellow kind may have admitted through this pitiful attempts at torture. “You’re wrong.”

“My sources are unimpeachable. You’re the father of your entire species. You’re really not pulling off this dumb-blond act.” Crowley said. You decided to settle on a knife that was one of a kind, the only real thing that would inflict serious pain into the shifter. “I hope you appreciate just how much effort I’ve gone to find something that can actually hurt you.”

“Torture is like a science. Each one of you Alphas have a kryptonite. And it’s my job to figure out what it is. You have to make hypotheses and do trails of so many different things to see what really gets the party started. I admit, my experiments have cost a few dozen shifters lesser than their lives. But experimenting…seeing what really makes you bleed is only half the fun.” You held up the silver blade and inspected in the floresightnt light, making sure the Alpha had a good look. “Iridium. Rarer than hell.”

“Would have been cheaper to drop a castle on you.” Crowley said, thinking the entire process to get here could have been settled better and much faster. But if he wanted to get to his precious Purgatory, he’d have to do it your way. “But I think we all agree, worth it.”

“So you start talking…” You warned the Alpha as you began approaching him in a slow walk and pointed the blade of the knife directly in his view. “Or I start chopping off all the bits that stick out.”

The shifter stared at you with almost a comical look, thinking you were bluffing about finding the one thing that would actually do damage. You raised a brow as he only made things worse for himself. “You go ahead, darling, see if it makes me—”

You cut off the shifter when you stabbed him with the knife, shoving the blade into his shoulder and pressed down harder when you heard him let out a shout of pain. Your lips stretched into a smirk as you drew out the knife and stepped back for a moment. You gave the shifter a moment to catch his breath and realize that you weren’t kidding around. However, he sat there with a grim look on his face.

“What was that? Purgatory’s where?” Crowley decided to push the shifter’s buttons even further as he cupped his ear and pretended to listen to what might spill out of the shifter’s mouth. While Crowley thought he was going to remain silent, the Alpha had a mouthful to say. The demon winced in disgust when the Alpha spit a mixture of saliva and blood straight onto his doppleganger face. You found yourself letting out an unexpected chuckle. Crowley, however, didn’t find it funny at all. “What is it with you animals?”

“Lighten up, Crowley. It was the tiniest bit funny.” You said, defending yourself when the demon tossed a dirty glare your way. He huffed out a breath and wiped the spit and blood off his face. You grabbed a monitor from the table that looked out of place from the things you had. You looked over at the shifter, knowing you had something that he’d been working tediously on for months. You turn the knob of a grey plastic piece, a second later, the echoes of babies crying filled the basement. “Did we tell you? This prison has a nursery. And I gotta say, demons don’t make very good nannies.”

“I know how much you care about them. You spent months gathering them to your bosom.” Crowley said, knowing he had the shifter exactly wanted him. You watched as the shifter’s expression began to change ever so slowly. "Not so cocky now, are we? Finding Purgatory’s important to me. You have five seconds to tell me where it is. After that, I’ll have Y/N fillet them in front of you, toss their spines in your lap. Four, three, two—”

The Alpha wasn’t the least bit afraid at the threat, "Kill them all. We’ll make more.”

You tightened your grip around the baby monitor from hearing a response that you didn’t like, but it wasn’t a sign of defeat. It meant you had one less trick to use against him. While you had remained ready to continue on your promise of hacking away at his fingers and toes, Crowley was beginning to lose his patience. Before you even realized it, the demon decided the best action was to cut the Alpha’s head clean off. Ever so slowly, the Alpha’s head tittered off his neck before the head fell to the floor, rolling around until you stared at the sight of Crowley’s surprised expression right at your feet.

You huffed out a breath as you looked over at the demon, “Was that really necessary?”

“Guess I lost my head.” Crowley thought it was funny to strike a joke. When he wasn’t looking, your scrunched up slightly in anger as you rolled your eyes. “Get one of those goons outside to clean this mess up. It’s not fun anymore when they can’t give me bloody answers.”

You heard Crowley’s footsteps echo off the walls, but your attention was focused on the severed head. It might have looked like Crowley, unfortunately, it wasn’t. What you would do to make it the King of Hell’s head at your feet instead of a filthy shifter. Without a thought, you channeled all your frustration that filled your body and kicked the severed head across the room. You huffed out a breath as your eyes flickered black again at the grim conclusion you came to. Another Alpha lost, another infinite amount of time playing Crowley’s little games. 

\+ + +

It was the middle of the night in some abandoned industrial plant where you waited for the boys to drop off the next creature. You leaned against the hood of the SUV and let out another sigh of annoyance from how late they were running. In the headlights of the car, you inspected to see if you had any sort of blood splatter left on your clothes or skin. You were clean. After a minute of silence between you and two of Crowley’s henchmen demons, the Impala began to slowly pull up and parked right across from the SUV. You pushed yourself up into a standing position when the boys stepped out. Dean opened up the backseat to hand deliver the next creature up on the chopping block.

“You’re late.” The demon standing next to the car said. His patience had already been running thin from the tight schedule Crowley liked to run. You rolled your eyes from how high and mighty the demon was trying to act like, as if he was the one in charge here. You couldn’t give a damn about what the king of hell wanted. Far as you were concerned, his days were numbered. You would only play along to his little game until you figured out a way to get out of this.

Dean didn’t seem all that concerned about his tardiness as he gave the excuse of traffic being a bitch. He fetched the hooded hostage from the backseat of the Impala and shoved him straight into the awaiting hands of the other demon that impatiently waited.

“One Rougarou.” Sam informed all of you what they caught.

“Now, where’s Crowley?” Dean asked, thinking he had the right to know where the king himself was after flaking out on each meeting. The demon had no problem popping out of thin air when it suited him. But once face to face conversation seemed too much for Crowley.

“Banging a hooker in a sweet spot called none of your business.” The demon informed the brothers.

“Oh! Look at that, guys.” Dean chuckled at the demon’s attempt at sarcasm while blocking the truth the brothers thought they deserved to know by now. “Demon trying to be funny.”

“Oh, is that what just happened?” Sam wondered, pretending to be dumbfounded.

The demon rolled his eyes and turned around to face the car. “Night, girls.”

"Wait, wait, wait, hold up.” Dean managed to stop the demon from heading off so soon. He had a few questions he’d been dying to ask since agreeing to this endless manhunt for monsters to keep the boss happy. The demon stopped and turned around, deciding to amuse himself to hear whatever Dean might have to say. “Are we ever gonna see Crowley again, or is he just gonna keep sending his demon extras?”

“Sorry, I know you’re speaking. I see your lips moving, but I can’t understand,” The demon tried to act all high and mighty when he stared at the Winchesters with his black eyes, showing them he was far superior here. “Because I don’t speak little bitch.”

“Too many big words for you to understand, huh? Yeah. Crowley told me you were a bit slow. I’ll make sure to ‘dumb’ it down next time.” You said. You winked at the demon as you showed off the same pair of movement black eyes. The demon suddenly felt a rush of anger as he opened his mouth to try and retaliate. “If you know what’s best for you, I’d suggest you shut your mouth and run along. Before you end up as nothing more than practice. If you know what I mean.”

The demon begrudgingly agreed when he understood your subtle threat. You watched as the two demon’s stepped inside the car when the next creature was safely secure and drove away leaving you and the boys in the brightness of the Impala’s headlights and underneath the spotlight of the street lamp above. You looked away from the empty road and back to the boys. Sam stared into the distance with an annoyed expression at what just unfolded. You found Dean had his gaze glued directly at you. You raised a brow in curiosity, wondering what he was looking so glum about. Maybe because there was a time when all of you used to kill demons. Now you were working for them, and the girl he loved was stuck as one.

“Can you….you know,” Dean always seemed hesitant to ask, and you always seemed amused at how nervous he got. “Mind giving us the real Y/N back?”

“What? You don’t like me like this?” You asked the older Winchester in a hurt tone. Dean didn’t seem all that amused when your lips stretched into a smile as he was forced to stare longer into your empty, dark eyes. “You’re no fun tonight. But, fine. Make sure to catch me this time.”

You blinked again to make your eye color go back to normal as your personality. You gave no warning when you twisted your body around on your heels and threw your hands up in the air, giving the boys just a split second to realize what was going on. Dean managed to catch onto this little game of trust falling. He outstretched his arms and caught you before you could fall to the ground. Dean let out a sigh as he stared at your unconscious face once again, wondering how much longer he really could take this.

\+ + +

You found yourself letting out another yawn when you and the boys came back to the abandoned house you’d been squatting at over the past few days. Popping a few aspirins and drinking some caffeine was the only thing on your mind right now after wrapping up yet another drop off. The events for today included you catching one nasty rougarou for the King himself to do whatever he pleased with. This little cycle had been going on over the past few weeks. Catch a monster, hand it off without question. 

But you did have questions. You wanted to know how long this was going to take. How long you and the boys were going to have to be at the beck and call for one little demon in a position of power that wasn’t for him. Each drop off you were waiting to see the smug bastard’s face, but instead, your company was a couple of demons that deserved to have been stabbed instead of given a free pass. It wasn’t working for Crowley that was the worst part of it all. It was how you were taking the new found stress. 

You weren’t adjusting to being human quite well. When you had small accidents or the few times where you’d broken a bone, it took a rather frighteningly fast amount of time for you to heal. You suspected it was because of the demon side. Now that you were fully human, you were just like everyone else. Stress didn’t just come in sleepless nights and anxiety, it came with moments of you spacing out for long periods of time. Memories you tried to recollect on vanished from your memory. And lucky for you, nobody knew what was going on. You went to a handful of doctors and been put under so many different medical tests, there weren’t many answers.

Part of you wanted to ask Cas for help. Maybe he could use some of his new found angel mojo to fix you right back up. You were always hesitant to bring the subject up. The angel was fighting a war in Heaven for power, then he had the heavy duty of figuring out how to get Sam’s soul back. You weren’t going to make a big fuss out it for the boys, either. Sam could have cared less about what was going on with you. And Dean had enough to worry about between trying to keep his brother in check while playing along to Crowley’s rules. Fortunately enough for you, things haven’t escalated too far since finding out this entire ordeal. One problem at a time.

“No, man, screw it. I’m done.” Dean announced yet again that he wasn’t going to be playing the King of Hell’s little games anymore. You rolled your eyes in slight annoyance and shut the door behind you, mumbling for the man to calm down. “We’ve been going on these freaking Crowley runs, and it’s not getting us anywhere. I mean, the only thing that’s really changed is now I need a daily rape shower.”

“Okay. I think you’re being a bit dramatic there, but I get your point. Working with him makes my skin crawl. I mean, I guess you’re right. Let’s go with Plan B—Oh, wait! We don’t have one.” You said. “So until one of you decide to use that big, empty brain of yours to come up with a better plan, sorry, sweetcheeks. Stock up on soap on a rope.”

“Y/N’s right.” Sam agreed. “If you wanna get my soul back, that’s what we gotta do, okay?”

“Yeah.” Dean mumbled underneath his breath. The man looked around across the room before he settled his gaze on his brother. “You even want it back?”

The younger Winchester looked at his brother with a blank expression, “I’m working for Crowley, aren’t I?”

“Yeah, well, who says he’s gonna hold up his end, you know? It is Crowley. You ever think that? Right?” Dean asked. He walked over to the fireplace to pour himself a much deserved drink. His back was turned to the two of you as he carried out the conversation. He heard the floorboards creak as his brother headed off to one room as you went over to the table across the room, probably searching for some painkillers when you began rubbing your head on the way back. Dean grabbed his cup and turned around, the room was empty. He expected you to pipe up about Crowley’s good deeds in the past. Or Sam to say something in that flat, emotionless tone. Instead Dean was greeted with complete silence and an empty room. “So I guess the moment’s over. Is that what you’re saying?”

Dean fell silent for another few seconds, waiting to hear you make a remark or your head to pop out from the corner. He called out his brother’s name. He called out your name. Nothing. Dean put down his cup to a nearby coffee table and drew out his gun for caution. Something was wrong. The older Winchester began to slowly walk forward to the other side of the house. He made sure to draw out his step further so he didn’t alarm the intruder from a squeaky floorboard. He pressed his back against the wall for a second before peering over the corner, stumbling upon a sight of you and his brother lying unconscious on the floor.

Dean stepped forward as he looked around to the room to see who did this, but he didn’t realize the intruder was right behind him. He felt a harsh pain in the back of his head before his vision went black.

\+ + +

The Winchesters knew waking up to a sore head and three strangers staring at you, meanwhile being tied to a chair, meant that tonight’s activities weren’t over yet. Dean was the first one to wake up, Sam a few moments later. Each of them exchanged a look when they realized their unexpected guests were demon’s by the color of their eyes They wondered if this was Crowley’s doing. The three of you had been giving an awful amount of lip to the boss. The king thought it’d be fit if you knew who was really in charge here. A beating might help get the point across. Dean wasn’t the least bit afraid as he stared at the demon’s with an almost bored expression.

“What now?” Dean asked, wondering what they had planned.

Sam, being across from his brother, couldn’t see the demons standing behind him, but he saw a familiar face that he thought would be smart enough to have stayed in the shadows. But it seemed she was missing her favorite hunters. “I think I know who you can ask.”

Dean peered over his shoulder best as he could to see who it could have been. His face quickly dropped as he looked forward. Anger rushed through him at the sight of her face. “Evil bitch.” He muttered between painfully clenched teeth.

“Keep sweet-talking me.” Meg, the infamous demon that had the lifespan of a cockroach, came over to the older Winchester. She placed a hand on his shoulder and leaned over, his lips just centimeters from his ear to whisper in a soft, sweet tone of hers. “This could go a whole new direction.”

“Meg.” Dean greeted the infamous demon that had somehow stuck around longer than anyone else they’ve come in contact with. She circled around him as a grin spread across her lips. The demon looked like she was being reunited with long, lost friends. All of you had been through so much together. And here you were, reunited once again. “I’ve been dying to see you again.”

“Well, here I am, big boy. What should we do?” Meg asked the older Winchester. She bit her bottom lip as she turned her gaze over to you, who was still out cold. “We don’t have much time, though. Your little girlfriend will be awake any second.“

“How about I rip you to shreds?” Dean suggested.

“Kinky, I like. And with an audience, too.” Meg liked to push all of your buttons, from making all sorts of crude and inappropriate remarks to threats. But it seemed she came here to learn a few things. “But a little Q&A first, if you don’t mind. Now, where’s your boss?”

“I gotta say, for a demon, you’ve got awful manners. You didn’t even say please. “ The woman looked over to you, who had been sitting ever so quietly with your head down as you remained unconscious. Now you were wide awake. You leaned against the back of your chair with a smirk at the ends of your lips as a brow raised at who you saw once again. But what Meg noticed as a difference from the last time was that you were staring at her with black, demon-like eyes. "Sorry. I don’t think we’ve been formally introduced before. Meg, right? Y/N. Well…demon more like Y/N’s demon side talking. Now, what would give you the impression that we’re working for someone?”

"It’s beginning to feel like Christmas for me. I get to be reunited with my favorite bozos. And Y/N is really a big, bad demon. Alive and in the flesh. Oh, I’ve been waiting years to see you like this. I wish I could say it’s an honor to meet you. But that was before I heard you and your flying monkeys have been getting cozy with Crowley. They juggle the orphans and you get to torture your little heart out.” Meg said. You looked at her with a curious expression, not giving her much of an answer from her suspicion. “Now, where is he?”

You shrugged your shoulders as you blinked, your eye color going back to normal. Your demon side remained where it was, front and center. “Don’t know, don’t care.”

“But you’ve been working his beat for months.” Meg said. You narrowed your eyes slightly in amusement as he tried her hardest to remain calm. “You’ve seen him plenty of times to know where he’s been hiding out. Cough up an answer.”

“Sorry, sister. The boys don’t get facetime. And did it ever occur to you that Crowley might work some of his new mojo so I

remember where I go? Once the party’s over, I’m back to my boring self. You can try her, but she doesn’t know where Crowley is, either.” You explained to the demon. You expected her to have thought of that possibility before she came barging in here all high and mighty. But the look that settled in her face told you that she didn’t. You looked at her with humorous disbelief. “You know, you’re a lot dumber than I remember.”

“And you’re hell of a lot bitcher than I expected.” Meg replied. You took it as a compliment from the smile that began to spread across your lips. The demon looked away from you and to the man she was standing in front of. Meg wanted to see how you would react when she decided to straddle Dean. She got herself cozy and stared at the man with a smile. “Where does he take all those things you snatch up for him? I bet you an all-day sucker that’s where His Majesty’s holed up.”

Meg looked over her shoulder and stared at you, expecting to see a glare or the slightest, tiniest bit of emotion that resembled anger from the sight of seeing her like this. However, you raised your brow, looking the least bit impressed. Meg decided that enough was enough. She pulled out the infamous demon knife she heard so much about and pressed the blade against the crook of Dean’s neck. “Okay, officially over with the foreplay. Satisfy me or I please myself.”

You found a laugh escaping your mouth when you heard her try to act all tough and scary. Dean stared at you with a glare from how you were pushing the demon’s buttons. “Something funny, Y?N?” Dean wondered, trying to figure out what was going on in that brain of yours. You nodded your head as you looked over at Meg, saying that it was her that was causing you to have the giggles. “Really? Because where I’m sitting—”

“Don’t worry, she can’t do jack squat.” You reassured the man. “She’s totally screwed.”

“Y/N, not helping.” Dean hissed at you. 

“Look at her, Dean. She’s furious. If she could kill you, she’d have done it by now. Well, more like try. Judging by her track record, she sucks at it. But that’s besides the point. Meg here is all by her lonesome now that Daddy’s gone. No one to tell her what to do, no one to give her the protection she needs.” You said, making assumptions about a situation that you already knew about. You’d seen it so many other times before from demons who didn’t last long as she had since Crowley took over. “She’s running.”

Meg looked over her shoulder and gave you the least bit amused expression, “Am I?”

“Judging by the fear in the room from just seeing me, I’ll say yes. Which means you’re running from Crowley, which makes sense. Crowley would wanna hunt down all the Lucifer loyalists now that he’s big man on campus.” You said. Meg pushed herself up to her feet and narrowed her eyes on you, wondering why she’d be so scared to see you as a demon. “Because I swore my loyalty to the son of a bitch. Torture a Alpha here, snatch a vamp here. Kill a demon who steps out of line. I say, ‘Make Hell Great Again.’”

“What a nifty little catchphrase.” Meg mumbled. You could see her teeth were clenched from the frustration she was slowly starting to show. It was your turn to push her buttons to see how far you could push her. “You should put that on a hat.” 

“She can’t kill us.” You informed the brothers, ignoring the demon’s remark as you looked at the both of them. “She needs us to get her to Crowley so she can stick that knife in his neck. It’s him or her.”

“Well, I hope you both lose.” Dean said. “But good luck.”

“So, you know what you gotta do now, right?” You asked the demon.

Meg rolled her eyes from how this conversation was carrying on. “Let me guess, you’re gonna tell me.”

“Work with us.” You suggested to her. Sam thought about the proposal, Dean looked at you as if you grew a second head through your shoulder. You ignored his looks as you remained focused on the demon standing in front of you. Meg stared at you with suspicion. “I like you, Meg. You and I are a lot alike. Hot, badass bitches who’s sick and tired of letting incompetent men calling the shots. We’ll hand you Crowley with a bow—on one condition. We go with you, you help us wring something out of him before you help me hack him to bits.”

“I’m flattered that you think so highly of me.” Meg said. Your lips stretched into a smirk as you leaned even farther back in your chair and gave a sly wink in her direction. “I gotta ask, what’s so important that you need my help?”

“Doesn’t matter. Question is,” You lifted up one of your arms best as you could from how they were tired and pinned against your side and pointed a finger at her. “Are you gonna be able to keep up with me?”

“I appreciated under Alastair in hell just like your little boyfriend.” Meg said. “Trust me, Y/N. I know how to make them scream nice and loud.”

“Your skills, plus everything I learned from Alastair and Lucifer. Crowley will have no idea what hit him.” You said. Your lips stretched into a smile, making you almost look like you were excited from what you were about to do. Dean stared at you with uneasiness, you didn’t care to pick up his worries. “What do you say, Meg?”

"Are you proposing a night I’ll never forget? I guess dreams really do come true.” Meg said. She seemed pleased with the plan you had suggested to take Crowley down. “It’s a deal, then. Hugs and puppies all around.” 

“You gonna untie us?” Dean asked, wanting to get this situation over with fast as possible.

“Please,” Meg looked down at the man with a smirk, “Don’t pretend you don’t enjoy it.” 

Meg and her small group of misfits demons began heading to the door when she did. You watched as two of them stepped out as Meg lingered in the doorway. You looked up when you noticed the last demon of Meg’s was staring down at you, like you should have been intimidated by him. You raised a brow as you winked at him in a flirtatious way, attempting to break that cold glare or get even farther under his skin.

“Are you gonna kiss me?” You asked.

Meg called out to the demon to get a move on it, he gave you a look over before he went off like told. When you made sure that everyone was gone, you shifted slightly up in your seat and pulled out a switchblade, cutting through the ropes and freed yourself first before moving on to the boys. You headed off to another part of the house, acting as if everything was back to normal. Sam took a moment to stretch his muscles, not even acting the least bit concerned or angry at what just happened. He shrugged when Dean gave him a panicked look. Dean rolled his eyes and quickly followed after you before you could do something else. 

"What are you doing out?” Dean asked. He spotted you standing in the front of the house as you began putting on your jacket. You glanced over your shoulder to see him, you gave him a slightly confused look, making it almost seem like you were back to your old self. But Dean reminded himself that you weren’t in control. “I mean, what the hell are you doing out here? I thought you couldn’t pop up however you pleased.”

“It comes and goes. And don’t worry. Y/N won’t remember a single thing.” You reassured the older Winchester. Dean didn’t seem comforted at the thought. He stared at you, unsure of if she should try and stop you. Or let you be. “Look, you’re not the only one who wants to screw over Crowley. You need me.”

“And your big plan is to work with a demon?” Dean questioned you.

“Sweetheart,” You reminded him of what you were as your eyes flickered black. “You’re already working with demons now. I’m doing this because I wanna stop Crowley.”

“She killed Ellen and Jo.” Dean said. “Correct me if I’m wrong, but that made you pissed.”

“I know. But you can’t look at this emotionally. We need her, Dean.” You argued with him. “You need me in charge of this.”

“Like hell I’m gonna ever let that happen.” Dean hissed at you, shooting down your suggestion faster before you could ask. “That little bitch is gonna screw us over so fast.”

“Of course, which is why we’ll screw her first. Meg and her little posse are dead the second we’re done with them. And before you get cold feet, I promise they won’t lay a finger on your pretty face. Because we’re bringing insurance.” You reassured the man. Dean let out a sigh as he decided to see how far your plan could go. There was so much at stake here. So much he was risking. He felt what came out of your mouth was nothing more than a lie he was willing to believe. Because it was you. Because he was holding onto a scrap of hope that the real you was still in there, waiting to take control when things turned dangerous. “Don’t worry, Dean. You can trust me.”  
\+ + +  
You found yourself out in the middle of the empty road tonight, away from the house where the boys quietly kept working, wondering if you would deliver on the promise you made to them. You circled around the pavement and stared up into the cloudy night sky, staring off into endless nothing. You, the human side of you, would have tried and pleaded for Castiel to take five minutes out of his busy schedule of trying to keep Heaven together to have a little chat. You were caught in the middle of finding Sam’s precious soul and yet not bugging the angel for every little problem you came across. 

However, Y/N—the sweet, empathetic, understanding side—wasn’t in control right now. You, the wretched and wicked, the demon who knew everything, was calling the shots tonight. And you couldn’t give a damn about the angel’s problems. You were tired of doing what they wanted. If you had to torture one more Alpha or its pathetic children, you were going to go ballistic. You were tired of being the puppet in this dynamic trio. You wanted out once and for all.

“Castiel, we need you. It’s important.” You decided to start off sweet and nice, hoping the angel would have five minutes to grace you with his presence. But when you circled around, you remained alone. You rolled your eyes and let out a sigh. “Cas, we found something. It’s this gold box. Apparently Nazis were after it back in the day, someone opened it and their face melted off. I think it’s—ready for this—the Ark of the Covenant. Yeah. So…”

"I’m here, Y/N.” You quickly turned around in your spot to see it was Cas himself. You looked at the angel with disbelief from how easy he could be fooled. “Where is the box?”

“I can’t believe you fell for that. That was the plot of Raiders, idiot.” You scoffed, shaking your head from how easy he could have been tricked with movie plots that came out a few decades ago. Your lips stretched slightly when the angel began to narrow his eyes on you, seeming to know from your out-of-character behavior that something was off. He could see that he wasn’t talking to the real Y/N. “You really need to get out more. ”

“You’re not supposed to be out in the open like this.” Cas warned you. He kept his voice quiet as he looked around the outskirts to see if the Winchesters were around, but it was just the two of you. You crossed your arms over your chest and raised a brow slightly. He knew that you had rare opportunity to show your demon side and let it take control like this The angel let out a sigh and rolled his eyes. “Whatever the matter is, you and the Winchesters need to take care of it on your own. I’m in mid-battle, Y/N. I don’t have time to spare.”

“I could give a rat’s ass about your pissing match with Raphael.” You said, your tone shifting as you took a step forward to the angel to show your frustration. Cas attempted to stare down at you, not in the mood to hear your woes. He opened his mouth to try and gain control of the conversation, you cut him off before he could let out three words and roughly shoved your index finger into his chest. “Listen to me, you little maggot. I don’t care what you’re dealing with. I don’t care what problems Castiel has. We haven’t made any progress. It’s been months.”

“This situation is more complicated than you realize, Y/N.” Cas tried explaining to you as if you were a small child. “You may not care. Considering what you are….you may fail to understand what this means. But believe me—”

“I’ve been doing exactly what you and Crowley wanted since I was pulled out. Guess how much progress we’ve been making? None. And don’t get me started on Sam. God,” You rolled your eyes as you rubbed your forehead, acting as if you were feeling a headache. “All Y/N ever thinks about is Sam’s precious soul. You owe me at least enough to try and fix him. So she can at least shut up about that problem.”

“Y/N, I can’t just—”

“I’m sorry, do you think I called you down here to talk this out?” You questioned the angel when you cut him off once again. Cas tried to act like his hands were tied here, like he had no way of fixing this situation that he was very much apart of. “So help me God, if you don’t help me, I will make it my personal mission to hunt you down and kill you.“

Castiel, the angel who had been alive longer than you or anyone on this planet, wasn’t afraid of some empty threat made by a species like you. He was more powerful than you’d ever be. And stronger like you were leading him on. You straightened out your shoulders and crossed your arms over your chest, and as if you were trying to make him feel intimidated, your eyes flickered back to the malevolent inky black Crowley had insisted on having.

“Will you, girl?” The angel asked you, almost in a comical tone. He raised a brow as he used his vessel’s height to tower over you. The little demon attempting to bite the hand that helped pulled her from the fiery depths of hell. “How? I could easily put you back where you belong.”

“You know, I thought about that. Then I remembered how Crowley’s ego is big as they come. I kick into high gear when his pathetic little life is in danger. And it is. But I don’t want to kill a few demons and call it a day. I want out. More specifically,” You said, “I want Crowley dead. I want Sam’s soul back. And I want what’s rightfully mine.”

“It’s impossible right now.” Cas mumbled to you, knowing exactly what you meant when a look of disbelief crossed his face. You narrowed your eyes on him. “We made a deal with him.”

"Now let’s make another. We take Crowley down and you give me exactly what I want. But, if you fail to do so, I’ll tell them everything. Including myself.” You threatened the angel. Cas narrowed his eyes on you, knowing you had one thing on him. A small little thing as the truth could make this plan that had been set into motions over a year and a half ago come crumbling down. “How do you think the Winchesters will take the news knowing you—our beloved angel—was secretly besties with the King of Hell? That the only reason you pulled me and Sam out of the cage a little differently was because you wanted to find Purgatory as well.”

"It’s more complicated than that.” Cas said, suddenly jumping to his own defense. You looked at him, wondering if the boys would think of it like that. The angel clenched his jaw as he let out a breath, he decided his last attempt at trying to stop you was calling your bluff. “You wouldn’t dare do such a thing.”

“Oh, but I would. I’ve got nothing to lose at this point. I’ll gladly sit back and watch as I hunt you down like the monster you’ve become. If you think I’m great at torture, I’m hell of an even better hunter.” You told the angel. You looked at him with a smile, Cas didn’t look the least bit amused at what you were trying to do. “Look at it this way. If I die, you and Crowley are out of any chance of finding Purgatory. But… if you side with the winning team, you can still get all those precious souls, Y/N and Sam go back to normal and I get what’s rightfully mine. For a sign of good faith, I’ll even help take down Raphael if you help find me another body that I can actually control. We both whisk away into the sunset, this little plan never to be heard of again. What do you say about that?”

\+ + +

The truth was such a terrible thing to let be buried down and be forgotten. Castiel had no way of escaping what you had proposed for him. It was too good, and he had enough conscious to know that if he didn’t do what you said, the guilt would eat him alive before you got the chance to finish the job. You and the angel headed back into the house, a smile, that meant so much more than the Winchesters would ever know, never left your lips when Dean himself went to inspect who came through the front door. His focus was kept on some papers he was examining while you were gone. He looked up, expecting to see you standing there alone, but he seemed a bit surprised to see Castiel lurking behind you as he shut the door.

“You actually showed.” Dean said to the angel who’d been absent over the past few weeks, ever since he left you after getting what rightfully belonged to him. The older Winchester thought it would have taken a lot more than you to bring him down from Heaven. But it seemed that he had underestimated the power you held over the angel. “Wow, Y/N, I owe you a chicken dinner. What happened?”

“Oh, we just…talked. Hashed a few things out. But it’s no big deal.” You said, the smile across your lips growing even wider. “This is what friends do for each other.”

Dean nodded his head as he smiled slightly, wondering for a moment about what you had to say in order to get Cas here. But he didn’t linger on the thought too long. You and the boys circled around the lit candles and bowls filled with herbs and other sort of things Cas had gathered in the matter of seconds. You watched as the angel struck a match across the box and threw it into the bowl. You waited as Cas tried to pinpoint where the King of Hell had been hiding out. But the look on the angel’s face made your expression drop into frustration.

“It’s not working.” Cas informed the three of you. “Crowley’s hidden from me.”

“Well,” Dean decided not to dwell on one trail that lead you down to a dead end when the man thought of another possibility. “Looks like we’re gonna have to try this the hard way.”

\+ + +

The hard way was sneaking into the Campbell compound and heading into Samuel’s office, a place that was off limits to everyone except for the big man himself. You and the boys didn’t see a problem finding access with the help of Cas, who helped you get inside with a simple touch to the forehead. The four of you wasted no time in going through papers and endless stacks of papers and maps to see if Samuel was smart enough to write down a possible address to where Crowley was hiding out.

You could have taken the easy way out and tortured the answer out of Samuel, but it would have caused more problems than what it was worth. You found a stack pile of maps and began spreading them around the desk, wondering if he had mistakenly marked it down somewhere for later use. You tried to recollect on any of the names that sounded even the slightest bit familiar to you. But all that came up was blanks and frustration from the lack of progress you were making. You huffed out a breath and slammed the maps down on the desk.

When you looked up, you were greeted to the sight of a pistol being pointed in your direction, Samuel being at the opposite end of it. You merely blinked, wondering if you should have been afraid. The man noticed that you weren’t alone, the sight of his grandchildren and Castiel as the other intruders made him do the right move by pointing the gun to the floor and switching on the safety again. He approached all of you ever so slowly, wondering what you were doing in his private office, rather than wondering how you managed to get in here.

“What do you want?” Samuel asked the four of you.

“We wanna know where Crowley is.” You stated the reason why you were here.

“If I even knew,” The older man said, “Why would I tell you?”

Dean, who had taken a personal disliking to the man from the first moment he met him, would have thought his own flesh and blood would realize that working for a demon wasn’t all it cracked up to be. He thought the man would have been smart enough to side with all of you than a demon who made a promise you didn’t know about.

“Because you’re our grandfather.” Dean said, as if that excuse alone would have made Samuel spill information that he likely didn’t have.

“Samuel, I’m gonna get my soul back.” Sam said. To the untrained ear, the younger Winchester almost sounded happy to have the opportunity to go back to his old self.

“Who says you can get it back?” The older Campbell asked. Sam looked at his grandfather with a slightly confused expression when he mumbled that he could. Samuel should have been over the moon to hear the news, the possibility of seeing his grandson for who he really was an opportunity that anyone would have been happy to see. Instead, the man appeared pessimistic, almost apprehensive at the thought of Sam going back to normal. “I’d like to help, but I’m sorry.”

“This is your grandson’s soul.” Dean said, as if the man didn’t know that for himself.

“I can’t.” Samuel stated in a harsh tone.

“What is wrong with you? You wanna work for Crowley?” Dean questioned the older man. He wanted to get to the bottom of this once and for all. But he felt this conversation needed to be done in privacy. Dean looked over at Cas, politely asking for the angel to step out for a moment, Cas was gone the moment you opened your eyes again when you blinked. You turned your gaze over to Samuel, curious yourself to as what Crowley was holding over the man’s bald head that made him do everything without question. “We’re your blood. But if you don’t wanna help us, I can’t make you. But I just gotta know why. What is Crowley holding over you? You owe us that.”

Samuel couldn’t let himself speak the reason why. He walked over to his desk that you were standing behind and bent down slightly to the last drawer. Opening it up, you watched as he pulled out a black and white photograph you caught only a blurry glimpse of. Samuel walked over to his oldest grandson and gave the photo to him. Dean furrowed his brow slightly and looked down at the snapshot. His face began to drop slightly at the familiar face staring back at him. You heard him whisper a title that he hadn’t said in years. “Mom.” Mary, the only daughter of Samuel and Deanna Campbell.

“He’s gonna give her back to me.” Samuel said. He kept his gaze to the ground as Dean tried to process the information. The older Winchester seemed to be filled with a bit of disbelief when he repeated what he heard back to his grandfather. “You tell me you don’t want her back. That’s the one difference between us. You know how to live without her.” 

“Look,” Dean said, trying to reason with the man. “I know how you feel.” 

“No, you don’t.” Samuel said. You could see that his eyes were glazed over, his emotions were getting the best of him, clouding his judgement of what the right thing to do was. “She’s my daughter, and she’s dead. And I can do something about it.”

“You think Crowley’s gonna make good?” Dean asked.

“He brought Sam and Y/N back. And me.” Samuel argued with the man for the actions that he decided to choose. Dean placed the photograph to the desk and quietly suggested not to go down the road he had traveled too many times. “What are you saying?”

“I’m saying stop trying. It’s gonna go nowhere good.” Dean told his grandfather. He shook his head slightly, knowing how harsh he was coming across. But it was for the greater good not to do something he would eventually end up regretting. “Samuel, I know we’ve had our differences, but I’m your grandson. And I’m telling you that this is wrong for so many reasons.”

“You hypocrite.” Samuel muttered underneath his breath, shaking his head from what he was hearing from someone like Dean Winchester.

“I’m asking you to learn from our mistakes. Doing this, this is how the bad guy gets us every time. It’s our Achilles heel. Apparently, it runs in the family.” Dean said. You looked away for a moment when the emotions were beginning to run high. You rolled your eyes in annoyance. “We will find something else out, okay?”

“I’m sorry, Dean,” Samuel apologized, already making up his mind. “But—”

“Fine. Fine, you bring her back.” Dean cut off his grandfather, not wanting to hear the excuse the man was telling himself to justify his actions. “But what are you gonna tell her, huh? Gonna tell her you made a deal with a demon? That you wouldn’t help out her sons?”

“All right, that’s enough.” Samuel shouted when he raised his voice louder, letting the argument come to a close from what he just did. The boys looked at their grandfather for a moment as you stared at the old man, wondering what kind of stunt he was going to pull. Samuel let out a breath and remained to keep his gaze on the floor. “Just get out.”

You looked over the Winchesters to see how they wanted to handle this. Sam, who was too oblivious to feel anything, wondered himself about what to do. Dean seemed to be the only one here who felt hurt by his grandfather’s words. The older Winchester nodded for the three of you to listen to the command before heading for the door. Sam followed behind a second longer. You stared at Samuel Campbell for a second or two before you headed out of the compound with the brothers. Human emotions were always much more of a burden than they were good for. You sure didn’t miss them right now.

\+ + +

You leaned back in your seat at the table and stretched out your legs, getting comfortable as possible while you continued on slowly slipping on the drink you fixed for yourself after coming back a little over an hour ago. The brothers diligently worked around you with all sorts of maps and papers spread around the place, trying to track down a possible lead to figure out an exact location of where Crowley’s hideout was. If you were back to your old self, you would have been all over this in the matter of seconds. You loved research more than anything. But you felt your time and effort would be better spent hacking and cutting off tiny bits off Crowley than shuffling through papers and getting frustrated.

You tilted your head back and took another sip of your drink, your eyes never leaving Dean, who sat across from you at the table. He did just about anything to get out of research if he could. The man occasionally would pick up a book and try his effort at finding something if you and his brother needed help. Now he had no choice, not like he would ignore a chance to screw over another demon before they had the chance to do it for him. Everyone was pulling their weight around here, except for you.

You raised your brow slightly when Dean stared at you, not the least bit pleased at how you were acting. You stared at him, wondering if he wanted to make a remark. Dean ignored the bait and went back to working, trying to ignore your presence.

“It’s very complex.” Cas spoke up from across the room. He sat on the ratty couch and occupied himself with watching some TV after you made a remark about how he needed to update his pop culture. You didn’t pay much attention to what he was saying, presuming he was watching the news or something. Dean nodded his head slowly, Sam didn’t look up from his papers. “If the pizza man truly loves this babysitter…why does he keep slapping her rear? Perhaps she’s done something wrong.”

“What the actual hell?” You muttered underneath your breath. You pushed yourself up to your feet and leaned over to get a better look at what the angel was watching. You furrowed your brow slightly as you tilted your head to the side, watching as the scene continued to unfold, and the girl’s bare ass get redder when the guy smacked her once again. This definitely wasn’t the news. “Are you…Are you watching porn, Cas?”

“It was there.” Cas said. The angel narrowed his eyes slightly in confusion as he continued to watch with such fascination. The girl let out another giggle aa the man slapped her ass one more time. ”I thought spanking was a form of punishment for children when they’ve misbehavior. But she looks rather…aroused.”

“Oh my God, Cas.” You grumbled underneath your breath as you pressed the glass against your forehead from the conversation that was unfolding. “Do I have tell you about the birds and the bees?”

“No. I understand the purpose of sex. But what I don’t understand is why the pizza man is slapping her buttock. And why she’s enjoying it.” Cas said. You looked at the angel for a moment as the room began to feel a little more awkward. “Perhaps pain can also be pleasurable for humans.”

“Most people who are into spanking like control and have lots of unresolved Daddy issues. And probably a healthy touch of masochism for the hell of it.” You mumbled as you decided to take another sip of your drink, but before the liquid could slip down your throat, it seemed your remark backfired as you choked on the drink from what you heard Cas say next.

"I presume this is something you and Dean practice when you have fornicated.” Cas said. His tone of voice was calm as he continued to stare at the screen. “It makes sense. Considering you and Dean both share the similarities to what you described.”

“Okay, okay.” You quickly muttered. “Conversation is over.”

“Let’s get a few things straight here, Cas. First,” Dean tried to give the angel a tip on how humans interacted with one another. And what was good conversation material, to what was deemed taboo. “We don’t talk about our private life out in the open like this.“

"I don’t see what the problem is.” Cas said. “Y/N has slept with the both of you on separate occasions.”

“Second, you don’t watch porn in a room full of dudes. And you don’t talk about it. Just turn it off.” Dean ordered to the both of you. You let out a quiet chuckle as you looked over your shoulder to see Dean trying his hardest not to look embarrassed at what you admitted to. Cas let the film continue on for another second as the female on screen began to let out sounds of moans, and from how quick they were going, it wasn’t from pain. You raised a brow when the angel looked down at his lap. “Oh, now he’s got a boner.”

You stifle a chuckle as you took another sip of your drink again. But the smile on your lips soon dropped when you hear a knocking at the door. You furrowed your brow slightly as the boys looked at one another with suspicion, wondering who it could be at this time of night. Dean slowly got up from his chair and pulled out his gun, getting ready as he approached the door. You and Sam watched as Dean opened the door, Cas lost in the porno to figure out who it was. Dean cracked the door open slightly to see that it was Samuel.

“Well, come on in.” You greeted the Campbell with a sarcastic tone of voice as you opened your arms while he stepped inside. Samuel looked around to see that his younger grandson was working. And Cas engrossed in the world of Casa Erotica. “The party’s just starting, Gramps.”

“This what you kids do, sit around watching pornos with angels?” Samuel asked. He briefly looked over at the screen before he had to look away at the graphic content that wasn’t suitable for an audience like this. Or anyone, for that matter.

“We’re not supposed to talk about it.” Cas said, still not breaking his concentration from the TV.

Dean shook his head and headed over to the TV to finally turn off the film before the babysitter and pizza man could get to third and final base. He turned his attention to his grandfather and asked, “Why are you here, Samuel?”

“It’s what Mary would want.” Samuel said. He began walking forward to his grandchildren as he reached a hand behind his back. You watched as he pulled out a folded map, handing it over to Dean so he could inspect it. You wandered over and looked to see there was a small red circle around a spot. The magic place where you’ve been a million times to, but couldn’t remember for the life of you. “Now, this is what I know. Whatever we bag ends up there. That’s where we send Y/N to torture them while Crowley interrogates them, whatever they do together. I don’t know. I don’t want to know. Only been outside the place, but it’s a death trap. Nothing gets in that Crowley doesn’t want. And nothing gets out, period.”

“Well, thanks.” Dean mumbled, rather happy to see his grandfather come around.

Samuel didn’t appear so enthusiastic about this. He looked at the four of you slowly, wondering what he could possibly say in order for all of you to stay safe. “I wish you wouldn’t do this.”

You didn’t want to face the King of Hell like this yourself, but you didn’t have any other choice. If you wanted things to change, you would just have to take the risk. The four of you along with Meg and her posse of demons. It should have been more than enough to take down the man. But it seemed Sam wanted to expand the invitation to his grandfather, who would have been a good extra set of hands.

“Come with us.” Sam offered, stopping his grandfather before he could walk out the door.

Samuel let out a quiet chuckle from the offer. “I may be soft, but I’m not suicidal.”

You crossed your arms over your chest and watched as Samuel headed out the door. Part of you was a little bit disappointed to see the man go. He could have been useful. Guess suicidal was just a Winchester thing. It was either that, or Gramps was hiding something from all of you. Making deals with demons was a trait Winchesters and Campbells were guilty of. If so, Crowley wasn’t going to be the only one with their life being cut short tonight.

\+ + +

It seemed Meg, the demon who always seemed to pop up whenever you least expected it, was standing just outside where you had been earlier tonight praying to Cas. You and the boys, along with Cas, greeted the demon and her posse. A smile began to spread across Meg’s lips at the sight of an old face she’d been only fortunate to meet once. An angel and a demon being together in the same room was like having a cat and dog interact with one another. It was bound to create chaos. But it seemed Meg was on her best behavior.

“Remember me?” Meg asked the angel. Her tone of voice, along with the smile that never left her lips, made her look like she was just looking for a cheap way to get under Cas’ skin like old times. “I sure remember you, Clarence.”

“Why are we working with these abominations?” Cas asked, not the least bit amused at the demon’s cheap attempts at trying to strike up some humor.

“Keep talking dirty.” Meg said. “It makes my meat suit all dewy.”

"All right, simmer down.” You mumbled underneath your breath, rolling your eyes from the antics that were already growing old. “We know where Crowley is.”

“Nice work, Nancy Drew.” Meg said. She turned her gaze to you and stared at you, now looking nothing but serious as she waited for an answer. “Do tell.” 

Sam scoffed, “Right. Tell you so you can just leave us for dead.”

“You boys have serious abandonment issues, you know that?” Meg asked.

“I’m just having so much fun spending this amazing, one-on-one time with you. I just don’t want to lose it so quickly.” You placed a hand on your heart as you stared at the demon with an emotional expression. Meg wasn’t the least bit amused at your attempt of sarcasm. You dropped the act, along with your hands back down to your side. “Relax, sweetcheeks. We’ll show you. But we’re going together.”

“You know, I’m liking this new side to you, Y/N. But it doesn’t change the fact that you’re part of the Scooby gang that likes to hunt demons.” Meg said. “Am I supposed to just trust you now that you’re a little bit like me?”

"No, you’re not that stupid.” You said. You looked at her for a moment as Meg began to feel all warm and fuzzy inside from the compliment you gave her. But you were about to take it all back when you stepped forward and stretched out your arm. “Now that we’re besties, give me my knife.”

“No, I’m not that stupid.” Meg mocked you.

“Do you want us to take you to Crowley or not?” You questioned the demon. Meg didn’t move a single muscle. “Oh, relax. I don’t need a little knife to send your asses back down to hell.”

Meg hesitated for a moment, but it was the mutual wanting to take down the enemy that made her finally hand over the knife. You gripped the wooden handle and stared at it for a moment, feeling the weight grow heavy in your palm. You inspected it for a moment as everyone began to eye one another up and down, making all of them wonder who was going to pull the next move. It should have been no surprise when you did.

You didn’t waste a second in shoving the knife straight into the chest of the demon who had the audacity to try and intimidate you. You pushed harder against the knife before you pulled it out, letting the body fall to the ground. Before anyone else could make a move, you quickly pointed the bloody end of the knife at the demons to show they could very well be next.

“You saw him. He was more interested in killing us than getting the job done.” You said, justifying your actions. “I just did all of us a favor.”

Meg didn’t like what you had done, but she agreed that it was the right thing to do. She nodded her head to her remaining two demon’s to back off. Not like you were the least bit afraid of them. You backed away slowly before heading back to the house, knowing there were a few things you needed to get done before leaving.

“Hey.” Meg called out to you. “You just gonna keep that?”

“You took this from us. I’m taking it back, bitch.“ You told the demon. You held up the bloody knife, as if to show her that you weren’t the least bit hesitant to use it on her as well. You scanned the crowd as your expression began to subtly change, into an almost darkened one that demanded respect for the control you were taking without asking. "We leave in one hour. And if anyone’s got a problem with that, kiss my ass. I’ll stab you, too.”

You waited for someone to try and make a remark, but all you saw were blank expression and a fsw demon’s avoiding your gaze. You turned back on your heels and began walking back into the house, leaving everyone alone to separate and do what they needed before departing.  
\+ + +  
Over the next hour, you and the boys gather supplies and rechecked weapons you would need for tonight in order to take down Crowley. Tonight was the start of something big. Something you’d been dreaming about since you were free from the cage and allowed to think for yourself, no little Devil on your shoulder to tell you to do otherwise. Being trapped down there, even for a short while, taught you a very important lesson that you’d never forget: The Devil was a dick.

Lucifer created you for one purpose; to see the destruction of humanity that he had grown to despise. You were his little abomination. His one and only creation that he could brainwash into admiring and worshipping him in all the ways God couldn’t. You played the role for a short while after he kidnapped you and forced gallons of demon blood down your throat to turn you into a true monster inside and out. Your demon side blocked out that memory until your humanity kicked in at the very last second, changing the ending into one nobody expected. The memories haunted you at night, but you thanked yourself for doing what you did. You were shown who the Devil truly was. And how he thought of you.

You remembered the months leading up to the cage. He promised you power, he told you how much he would never hurt you. He did just about anything to make you believe he was going to give you everything you wanted. But it was a lie. Hatred and torture, that was the only thing

gave you when he was locked up again—and of all people, his brother.

Much as Lucifer tormented and professed his hatred to you in the cage, it was to your humanity that took over and changed the story to an ending nobody expected. He hated the one thing that he couldn’t destroy, no matter how much effort and time he painstakingly made for you. He had the help of Lilith, Azazel, Ruby and a handful of other demons he couldn’t name off the top of his head. All of his children quietly worked together so you were cared for. So you could do the one thing that he only asked for you. Love and devotion—was it so hard to give? Yes, it was.

The Devil prided himself on being better than his Father was to his humans, the things that God thought needed to be created. Lucifer thought he gave you all the right amount of attention and care. He almost had you fooled into thinking he meant his word. But you saw him like everyone else you had learned to fight. A monster who didn’t believe in free will. Do as I say, not as I do.

Even as a demon you grew to detest him and everything you once stood for. Lucifer promised you power, he promised Hell was yours to have. And you were going to make sure that bastard kept true to his word. Nobody was going to tell you what to do anymore. Nobody was going to stand in your way of what you wanted. Especially not a little punk ass crossroads demon who grabbed your title when you were away. You were going to make sure of it.

“Hey, angel face.” You called out to Cas, heading for the kitchen table where Dean was packing up the last of the belongings you grabbed from your final trip to the Impala. You set down a few more shotguns and a canister of salt, wondering if Cas was going to attempt at looking in your direction. But the angel stood in the middle of the living room, continuing to stare at the wall instead of you. “You know, it wouldn’t hurt for you to help.”

Cas remained silent for a few seconds. You placed your hands on your hips and stared at him from across the room, already knowing before he opened his mouth that he was going to try and back out of this plan. “I’m ambivalent about what we’re attempting.”

“Breaking into monster gitmo is not a two-for-one in the champagne room.” Dean said. He knew the risks he was about to embark on. But it was always worth it knowing the outcome was of one that the older Winchester could only dream of nowadays from dealing with people that were the opposite of who they once were.

“I’m not sure retrieving Sam’s soul is wise.” Cas said, thinking right now was the perfect time to discuss his grievances against a plan that had been talked about countless times. You could feel your jaw beginning to tighten in anger from what he was trying to do.

Dean chuckled quietly to himself as he circled around the table, heading over to the angel to find out why he was growing apprehensive to the plan. “Wait, what? Why?”

“I want him to survive.” Cas said.

“We all do. Myself included.” You said. You over to the two men, joining them in the living room to continue this conversation. “Why are you suddenly getting cold feet?”

“Sam’s soul has been locked in the cage with Michael and Lucifer for more than a year. And they have nothing to do but take their frustrations out on him. Do you understand?” Cas asked the both of you, trying to make you understand the risk you were about to take. “Sam’s never faced this kind of torture before like the two of you. Not to mention, Y/N was born with a soul already half-rotten. If we try to force that mutilated thing down Sam’s gullet…we have no idea what will happen. It could be catastrophic.”

“You mean he dies?” You wondered.

“I mean he doesn’t.” Cas answered with a list of consequences that sounded terrifying to imagine. “Paralysis, insanity, psychic pain so profound that he’s locked inside himself for the rest of his life.”

You found yourself letting out the quietest scoff that almost sounded like a chuckle to the oldest Winchester’s ear. Dean looked over at you to see that you rolled your eyes and crossed your arms over your chest, appearing to be frustrated yourself from what you were hearing. It was what the real you would have done. If you were right here, front and center, like how you should be. But instead he was working with a demon that tried to kill him a million times, and another that wanted to see the end of the world pretended to care for the people around her.

“Okay, you know what? I can’t do this anymore.” Dean muttered underneath his breath. He turned his attention away from the angel and to you. You furrowed your brow in confusion when the man stared at you like you were the enemy here. “Why are even acting like you care about helping Sam? You spent the past year working with Crowley. Hell, why are you even helping us?”

You found yourself letting the faintest smile stretch across your lips when the oldest Winchester was now standing in front of you, looking at you like you were the enemy here when you’ve done nothing but prove yourself that you were for the winning side. You didn’t say anything just yet. You let him cast his assumptions, curious to see what really was going on in that head of his. “How the hell do I know that you’re not working with Crowley and leading us into a trap?”

“Because I know a little something about being locked inside my own body. Thanks to Crowley” You answered the older Winchester, shooting down his assumptions that were all wrong. You let out a sigh, deciding to give him a bit of insight that you never had the chance to explain. “Amuse me for a second. Imagine you’re just a passenger in your own body. You can see and hear everything going on around you, you can even think for yourself—what you want to say, what you want to do. Now imagine not being able to do any of that.”

Dean’s expression began to change slightly as he tried to figure out if you were telling the truth. Or you were trying to make him feel sorry for a demon that looked like the woman he loved. You rolled your eyes again, a frustrated chuckle escaped you from the man’s reaction.

“Believe me. Don’t believe me. I don’t really give a rat’s ass anymore. I don’t work with him. I work for Crowley. You think getting monsters is bad for him? At least you can move and do other things. Try having your entire existence be just to serve others.” You said. “I want out of this body much as you do. And I want Sam to have his soul back because it’s the one true thing Crowley has over us.”

“One thing at a time here, sweetheart. You can sit back for a little while longer. You…You’re a whole other problem I don’t even know where to begin with.” Dean said. You gave the man a dirty look from his remark as he turned his focus back on Cas to hear more about these supposed consequences for his brother. “But you’re saying you don’t know anything for sure? He could be fine?”

“He could be, yes.” Cas said. Dean nodded his head slowly, thinking the discussion was done when he heard exactly what he wanted. There was a way of getting his brother back to normal. One less problem he had to deal with. One more step into getting things back to the way they were once before. “But I sincerely doubt it.”

“Well, if he’s not fine, then you fix it.” Dean said. He made it out to be so easy, but the angel had fears he wouldn’t know where to begin if all of you went along with the plan. “Then you figure it out, Cas. And fast. I mean, the guy’s a frigging replicant. He needs his soul. Not to mention, we still got to deal with this thing.”

"Dean, this situation won’t be easy. We could be putting the state of Sam’s wellbeing in jeopardy if we decide to do this. And Y/N, well, I don’t even know where to begin with her.” Cas warned the older Winchester. He looked away from the man and to you. “There’s the matter of trying to figure out what Crowley exactly did to her in order to make her a cambion again. Not to mention, if she finds out what she’s been doing…I’m afraid she won’t take it well. I’m saying, the road to figuring out to make Y/N human again isn’t impossible. It’s just going to be extremely difficult.”

“We did it before, and we’ll do it again.” Dean suddenly snapped at the angel. He found himself bombarded with too many situations, too many problems that needed to be fixed. The man quickly realized what he’d done. He ran a hand down his face and let out a quiet sigh. “We owe it to them to try, Cas. If there’s complications with Sam, then we will figure out a way to deal with those. And I will personally torture Crowley myself to get some freaking answers. It’s a done deal, Cas.”

“Of course.” Cas agreed. Dean nodded his head once, happy to hear the angel was coming back around to the idea. As he got ready to finish packing things up, the angel couldn’t help himself but be a bit of a pessimist. “Or we fail, Sam suffers horrifically and Y/N goes insane when she figures out what she’s done. Not to mention, if she finds out about who she is—“

“She dies.” Dean cut off the angel, muttering the rest of the sentence. He stood at the table with his back turned to the both of you. His grip around the bag tightened when he repeated the warning that he hadn’t stopped thinking about since he first heard it all those weeks ago. Dean grabbed the bag from the table and turned around. “I know. But it’s a risk I’m willing to take. We got no other choice.”

You and the two men began heading out the front door when all of you got everything you would need for tonight and head out to find Sam. Neither one of you realized the younger Winchester was lurking in the shadows of the house, hearing the entire conversation carry on without telling him about the consequences that might come if he was to get his soul back. And hearing his opinion on if he even wanted the damn thing back.

\+ + +

Crowley’s home for wayward monsters wasn’t cozy as one would expect. You stood on top of a steep hill overlooking the abandoned prison that was fenced off for any bystanders looking for a bit of fun. What laid inside was dozens of monsters the boys captured to rat out where their father was. In return you torture the Alphas to figure out where Purgatory was. It was an endless cycle of misery and pain for everyone. But after tonight, all of it was going to be over. At least, you hoped.

“That’s weird.” You muttered underneath your breath. From your vantage point on top of the hill, you scanned the area to see if you could find any sort of demons working the night shift to keep guard. Anyone that might pose as a problem. But it was empty. “It’s too quiet. Crowley’s got a big ego, but he’s not stupid enough to leave himself vulnerable like this. He should have demons crawling around this place. Something.”

"It’s not. I can feel it.” Cas said. You looked over to the angel standing by your side to see that his eyes were squinted slightly, almost making him look as if he was staring off into space. Except he could feel the wickedness all around him. “Meet me in the side door.” 

When you blinked, Cas was gone. You and the boys headed down to where you were told to be, Meg followed behind with her goons. You kept an eye out for any possible demon that was lurking in the shadows, waiting to bust a couple of hunters and their new friends. There was nothing but the five of you around for miles. You cautiously looked up to the windows above you, expecting to see some sort of spray painted sigils to ward off angels. All you could see was the fluorescent lights pouring out from the glass. Not even a shadow passed by.

You looked straight in front of you when you heard the door open a second later. You were expecting to be greeted by a demon, but a small sense of relief washed over you when you saw that it was just Cas. He stood in the doorway, appearing to have faced no obstacles. It might have been a good thing, if you weren’t taking down the King of Hell. You turned your gaze over to the Winchesters to see be three of you were sharing the same skepticism about this place. 

“This all seem a little too easy for you?” Dean asked, finding himself wondering what all of you were about to step into. 

“Way too easy.” Sam agreed. 

You found yourself glued to the spot where you stood as everyone headed inside. You looked over your shoulder again to see if you could figure out why this was so easy. A small voice in the back of your head warned you that something was off. Crowley wouldn’t leave this place open like this. There had to be a demon guard in the shadows and angel repellent to keep someone from ruining his plans. You suddenly found yourself growing apprehensive with going through this plan. You slowly looked over at Cas, who continued to stand with the door open, waiting for you to come back around your senses.

This was your one shot at taking down Crowley for good and get everything you wanted. Earlier tonight you would have stormed in here by yourself, ready to take down the demon yourself. But here you stood, subconsciously pressing a hand against your jacket to feel the outline of the demon knife tucked safely in the waistband of your jeans. Making sure you had it, yet again. For someone who prided themselves on being the stronger half, you found yourself acting…afraid.

You swallowed down your nervous energy and made your way inside the building where everyone was already a few yards ahead of you. As you began heading forward to the boys, you suddenly found yourself stopping dead in your tracks when you heard the door shut. You looked over your shoulder again to see that there was no way out of here, you were really doing this. You inhaled a quiet breath and pulled out the demon knife, preparing yourself one last time for the strange journey ahead of you.

All of you wandered around the building until you came across a long and narrow hallway, each wall was lined with cells. You tightened your grip on the knife as you continue on walking, pointing your flashlight on each window or cell door you passed by. Some were empty, a few held bloodied and battered bodies that didn’t move. Others kept prison monsters that were kept waiting, wondering what was going to happen next to them.

“Is someone there? Please. Please, help me.”

A voice coming from a few cells down caught Dean’s attention. He furrowed his brow slightly and began walking forward to see who was calling for help. Dean approached the cell and flashed his light inside to see a young woman. She was standing in the corner of her small confinements and chained up like an animal. She flinched in discomfort when she came into contact with light. Dean stared at her for a moment, taking in her bruised and dirty appearance, not to mention, how terrified she look. He found himself wondering why she would be in here. It took him a moment before he realized who she was. The djinn that attacked him, his brother and you. The one Samuel and his pals were supposed to have killed.

“You gotta get me out of here.” She pleaded with the older Winchester. He stared at her for a long moment, unsure of what the right thing to do was. She was a monster who tried to kill him. But he could only imagine what she went through over the past year since being brought here. “Please. You gotta get me out of here.”

“Come on, Dean.” Your voice made Dean break his concentration away from the djinn and look behind him to see that you were standing right next to him. You placed a hand on his arm in some sort of comforting way, trying your hardest to make him move on. You stared at the djinn in the cell, wondering if the old you would have felt a drop of sympathy for the poor thing. You, however, couldn’t care if she rotted in here. “We gotta move.”

All of you continued on your journey through the building, passing by another dozen or so cells until you turned the corner, heading down another hallway. You followed behind Sam as he lead the group down an empty pathway. You turned off your flashlight when you noticed there was enough lighting to guide your way. As you began heading to the double doors at the end of the way, your concentration slipped back the surroundings of the place, wondering where the hell was all of Crowley’s minions. This place was too quiet. But you found yourself about to regret those words when you felt a bad shiver run up your spine. Cas noticed it, too.

“Wait.” Cas said, making everyone stop dead in their tracks.

“What is it?” Dean asked.

You slowly looked over your shoulder when you heard the distant sound of nails tapping against the floors. Your grip around the knife tightened when you saw the head of a familiar beast peek itself out from the corner.

“Damn it.” You hissed the curse word underneath your breath. “Here comes the guards.”

It was everyone’s favorite lovable pet to a demon, a hellhound. You had encountered them plenty enough in your lifetime to know the bone chilling bark was a sign for all of you to run for your lives. Crowley was a bastard, but you had to admit, he was a smart one. Instead of populating the place with useless minions that could have been taken down with little effort, he choose to let the hounds to run free, picking off any trespassers that may try to ruin his plan or tear apart any monsters that might have somehow gotten free. Hellhounds were nasty things, but they weren’t incurable. You’ve defeated them before, and there was no way you were going to let them stand in your way.

You stayed frozen in your spot for a second as the hound stared at you and the group for a moment, wondering who was going to make the first move. You narrowed your eyes on the beast as you held onto the knife with a white-knuckle grip. You, the boys and Cas had a good distance to run to the doors, but it was possible. You gave the signal to make a break for it when you turned on your heels, breaking out into a sprint, the boys following quickly behind along with Cas and Meg.

All five of you managed to find safety, the two demons who were with Meg weren’t as lucky, but their deaths weren’t in vain. They gave the hounds something to play with as the boys shut the heavy metal doors behind them. Dean barricaded the door as Sam quickly salted it, giving all of you a minute to catch your breath. You flinched when you heard the demon’s scream for their lives, a second, later, their blood splattered across the plexiglass windows, making the room fall into silence for a second. You let out a frustrated sigh as you ran your fingers through your hair.

“I knew this was a trap.” Dean muttered underneath his breath, his focus going straight to Meg, as if this entire plan was her idea.

“What do you want, a cupcake?” Meg asked with a sarcastic tone.

“All right, that should keep them out.” Sam said. He pointed a finger to the doors, bringing your attention to the salt line and flimsy piece of wood that would have kept out a bunch of demons.

“Not for long. There’s too many of them out there.” You said. You wish you could have seen the hallway to see the actual amount of hounds that were circling around, waiting to get in here and rip the flesh right off your bone. You should have known. You looked over your shoulder to see there was a corner, along with a few doors. But you had a feeling you might have come across another one if you dared to make an escape. “This isn’t good.”

“Good observation, Nancy Drew. This was a fun bonding experiences between the both of us gals. But I think my time here is up.” Meg said. “I’ll be pulling for you and the Scooby gang from Cleveland.”

You looked at the demon with an angered expression, “What?”

“I didn’t know this was gonna happen. Bright side? The chewing up my meat suit ought to buy you a few seconds.” Meg explained her genius plan. “Seacrest out.”

Meg titled back her head and opened her mouth, getting ready to escape her body and travel far away from this place. But nothing happened. Your lips stretched into a smirk when you realized the bitch couldn’t make her infamous disappearing act when things got too much for her to handle. She stayed in her position for a moment as her eyes looked around, wondering what was going on. You crossed your arms over your chest and let out a chuckle.

“It’s a spell, I think, from Crowley.” Cas said. He looked around the walls, figuring out the king of hell had a few tricks of his own up his sleeve. The demon must have known all of you would try to do something like this. He was prepared for just about anything. “Within these walls, you’re locked inside your body.”

“Karma’s a bitch, bitch.” Dean said. Meg shut her mouth and looked over at the man, she gave him a dirty look from the remark she deemed unnecessary. You looked down at the knife you were holding and then to the double doors. You could hear the sounds of the hounds’ nails scraping against the metal and their low growls, eager to get inside. “What are you gonna do, Y/N? You gonna slash up some hounds, Rambo style?”

“Yeah. Because unlike you and Sasquatch, I can see them. I should be able to hold them off long enough for you guys to get a head start.” You said, coming up with a spur of the moment plan. You looked away from the doors and to Dean, who looked like you were going crazy from what you were suggesting. “Oh, relax. That pompous prick needs me alive more than any of you. And besides, I think it’s what ‘I’ would do. I mean, aren’t we into this whole self sacrifice thing?“

“No. Take the knife and go, Y/N.” Meg interrupted your plan, thinking she had a better one. You looked over at the demon with a bit of surprise from what she was doing. “You kill the smarmy dick. I’ll hold off the dogs.”

“That’s very kind of you. Really. But how are you gonna do that—” You posed a question as you pointed the blade of the knife to the demon, but you found yourself falling silent from what began to unfold in front of your eyes.

Meg must have thought if she was going out, she was going out in style. You raised your brow in slight confusion as she leaned forward and locked her lips with innocent Cas, the angel in every sense of the word. You began to wonder if opposites really did attract, but you didn’t realize the demon had other motives as she snuck a hand inside his jacket, pulling out something of his she wanted. She pulled away from him after a moment as she stepped back, her lips stretching into a smirk. Cas may have been an angel with his v-card well in tact, but it seemed he was a quick learner to figuring out the joys in life.

Cas grabbed the demon and turned her around, pressing her back against the wall. You looked away in sheer awkwardness as you watched the both of them continue on this make out session. Sam wasn’t exactly sure what was going on, meanwhile his brother pointed to the door, still hearing the mutts outside trying to get inside. After a moment, Cas pulled away, leaving Meg breathless, and a little baffled at what just unfolded.

“What was that?” Meg asked.

“I learned that from the pizza man.” Cas said. You and the boys looked at each other, all of you shared the same unsettled look from what you were witnesses to.

“Well, A-plus for you. I feel so clean.” Meg complimented the angel on his skill. She basked in the feeling she hadn’t felt before as a demon for a moment before lifting up her arm to reveal the reason why she locked lips with Cas in the first place. The sneaky little bitch managed to snag his angel blade off him. “Okay. Gotta go.”

“Wait,” You pointed your finger to what she was holding. “Is that gonna work on a hellhound?”

“Well, we’re about to find out. Run.” Meg ordered at the four of you. She nodded her head to the empty hall, thinking it was best for you to continue on your journey. The brothers listened to her command as Cas followed behind. You were about to do so yourself, but you only made it a few steps before you stopped in your tracks and turned around, unsure if it was right to leave Meg fighting a battle. Meg rolled her eyes. “Oh, don’t get all heroic on me now, Y/N. I’ll be fine. Us hot, badass chicks need to stick together, right?“

"Right on, sister.” You agreed with the demon, your lips stretching into a smirk as you began to back away slowly to join the boys. When you looked over to the salt line to see how it was holding, your smile began to slowly disappear at the realization the hounds were about to barge in any second now. You glanced back over at Meg. “Don’t get yourself killed, Meg. Remember—I need someone to help me take down that bastard.”

You were about to wish her good luck, but you had no time for it when the salt line was seconds from disappearing, giving you just enough time to make a break for it. You were halfway down the other hall, running for your life when the hounds came bursting in, delivering Meg some much deserved karma after what she did to you and the boys over a year and a half ago. Karma was a bitch, and she might take her sweet time delivering it, but when she did, the moment was the sweetest thing. It was time for Crowley to get a taste of his own.

\+ + +

You and the boys continued on your journey through the building, but you weren’t making much progress. All of it was just walking and complaining about how dark it was in here. You followed behind the brothers as Cas lead all of you down a few flights of staircase. You peered over the edge and flashed your light around the place, wondering if you could find anything to lead you to Crowley’s whereabouts. But all you were seeing was debris from decades of neglected cleaning to this abandoned prison and darkness.

You outstretched your free hand and grabbed onto the rusty railing when you approached the last staircase to the bottom floor of the building, making sure you didn’t love your footing. As Dean complained, once again, about not being able to see jack squat, he soon found himself regretting those words. A bright white light illuminated in the room, catching you and the boys off guard. Your hands covered your eyes to block out the light that seemed to had come out of nowhere.

You waited a moment or so until you slowly dropped your arms back down to your side, blinking a few times to make the dots floating around in your vision disappear. However, when you looked around to see what happened, you stumbled upon the realization there was someone missing in your group. You felt yourself beginning to grow a bit panicked as you began looking around the building as Dean noticed just a moment later that Cas was missing. He called out the angel’s name, but the younger Winchester realized himself who was to blame.

Sam called you and his brother’s attention, cutting your search for the angel short. He wasn’t here. Cas was blown halfway across the world by now. You looked straight ahead as your flashlight moved over to see Samuel Campbell himself standing at the bottom of the staircase with a bloody palm from writing a sigial you were all too familiar with.

“You sold us out?” Dean asked, surprised himself at the twist of events nobody saw coming.

"You little spineless, bald headed bastard.” You hissed at the man. You should have known the man was too good to be true when you got the location from him. Crowley had his hand so far shoved up the old man’s ass, he had his own Samuel Campbell puppet to do whatever he pleased with. Your grip around the demon knife tightened as your eyes flickered black, making the hunter realize who he was messing with. “I’m gonna gut you like the pig you are.”

But your plans were cut a bit short when someone grabbed you from behind, seizing the knife from your grip and pinning you into place. Your lips stretched into a frown when you realized all of this was planned ahead. Samuel knew all of you wouldn’t waste an opportunity to take down Crowley, and the son of a bitch went to him, tattling like a child for his award. Things only grew worse when you saw the big man himself step out from the corner. It must have been good to be king, the little prick didn’t even need to lift a finger to get all of you exactly where he wanted.

“Now, now. Retract your claws, Kitten.” Crowley said. You narrowed your eyes on the demon from the nickname that you grown to hate every time you heard it. Crowley looked at the three of you with a satisfied look on his face. “This isn’t the time or the place to show off your skills. But I have to say, you and Gramps are the best purchase I’ve made since Dick Cheney.”

“Hiya, Crowley.” You greeted the king of Hell with a forced smile. “How’s tricks?”

“Above your pay grade. Been working. Big things. Alas, you and your monkeys will be too dead to participate.“ Crowley said. “Shame I have to do away with you, Y/N. Rather enjoyed your indentured servitude.”

‘Shame I can’t say the same about you.” You said. You gave the demon a glare from what he thought he was going to get away with. But your thoughts of revenge would only remain as what they were when you felt the demon holding you roughly grab you and shove you forward to the top of the staircase, nearly dragging you along when you wouldn’t go at the speed he was. “Hey! Easy, buddy. I bruise easily.”

The demon scoffed and dragged you even faster, reprimanding the knife as his own. You tried your hardest to somehow fight your way out of his grip, but it was near impossible. You and the boys were brought to another part of the building that didn’t look so pleasing. The demon holding you fetched out a key from his pocket and unlocked a padded cell door you would be staying in for now. You felt yourself being thrown inside, nearly stumbling to the ground, but you managed to catch yourself before you landed face first in a strange looking puddle.

You turned around to see that you wouldn’t alone in your small cell that was barely big enough for you. Dean was tossed inside with you, and before either one of you could try anything, the door was slammed shut right on your face, the lock clicking into place made you realize you were sealed in here. You looked around and let out a sigh. This wasn’t exactly how you wanted to spend the rest of your night. Locked in a room that smelt like an outhouse.

“Sam?” Dean called out his brother’s name when he noticed there was an air vent on one of the walls. He suspected the cells had to be close together for all of you to hear each other. You looked over your shoulder when you heard the younger Winchester’s voice echo. Dean took a step forward to communicate with his brother better. But he immediately regretted the choice when he realized his boot found its way into a bad smelling substance. “I’m standing in pee.”

Sam was silent for a moment, probably taking a look around at his own cell. It seemed a little urine wasn’t that bad. “Consider yourself lucky.”

"Yikes.” Dean muttered underneath his breath, not wanting to think about what his brother his discovered. He turned around in his spot, making sure to watch his footing so he wouldn’t make the same mistake as he did before. “So, how are you handling your yourself, sweetheart—” Dean was expecting to see you standing there with your arms crossed over your chest and your lips pouting out slightly, clear signs you showed when you were aggravated. He began to think about how adorable you looked when you got ticked off. But his thought quickly changed when he stumbled upon you standing there with a confused expression on your face. “Y/N?”

“Dean?” You whispered the man’s name. You looked away from the padded walls to see the older Winchester was standing just a few feet away from you. You appeared like you always did after coming out of your spells, exhausted and in a daze. “Where the hell are we?”

“Uh…what’s the last thing you remember?” Dean took a step forward to you, trying to think what kind of story he could say in order to answer the questions you were going to have.

You furrowed your brow tightly together as you tried to think back to your last memory. You were silent for a moment as you recollected back on what happened before you woke up here. “The house. Uh, we just got back from the run. I had a headache, so I went to get some painkillers, and…” You said, explaining what you remembered as you ran a hand through your hair. Your eyes wandered around the room for a second or so as you tried to think about what happened next. Your expression changed slightly as you looked over at Dean. “I saw someone. I think it was a demon. But then I woke up here. God, this place smells awful.”

“Yeah. It’s the pee. You’ll get used to it..” Dean said. You gave the man a baffled look from what you just heard. “I woke up here, too. Sam’s in the next room. I have a feeling this has Crowley written all over it.”

“What? Why? We’ve been doing everything that bastard wanted for weeks now.” You said. Dean began to feel a bit nervous when he saw you grow a bit skeptical about his response. You thought quietly to yourself, your mind filling in the blanks of the possibilities to what was going on here. “Unless…he doesn’t need us anymore. And this is the little bastard’s version of firing us.“

You turned your head over to the metal door when you heard the hinges squeaking, but it was a small window that once served as a way for doctors to speak to their patients. You were taken back when you saw that it was Samuel Campbell standing outside. Your lips stretched into a smile at the sight of a familiar face, thinking the man you’d been hunting with for the past year was here to help save you from whatever the hell was going on.

“Don’t look so happy to see him, Y/N.” Dean warned you. “You want forgiveness old man, find a priest.”

“I just want you to understand—” Samuel tried to explain to himself, but Dean cut him off.

“Oh, I understand that you’re a liar.” Dean said. He approached the door to continue this conversation with his grandfather from the small window. “You talk about putting blood first, which is funny. You sound just like my dad. Difference is, he actually did.”

“I am putting blood first.” Samuel defended himself.

Dean rolled his eyes from the man’s pathetic excuse, “Oh, give me a break.”

“Mary’s my blood! My daughter! Don’t come at me like I sold you out.” Samuel said. “You sold out your own mother. It was her or Sam…and you chose Sam, plain and simple.”

“Oh, that is such crap. You wanna know what really happened? You chose a demon over your own grandsons.” Dean said. You approached the door when you heard all of the commotion turn into an argument you had no clue was about. You looked at Dean, making him realize you weren’t around to hear what Samuel did. “Gramps is working for Crowley. Sold us out so he can bring our mother back from the dead.”

“What?” You asked. You looked over at the older hunter, your face stretching into anger at what you discovering. “You’re putting your own grandchildren in danger because of that? You son of a bitch.”

"Oh, get off your high horse. Like you haven’t done it before. See it how you want. I don’t even know what Sam is. And I don’t even know what side I’m talk to half the time with you, Y/N.” Samuel said when he turned his gaze over to you. You gave the man a slightly confused look, unsure of what he meant by that. "And you, Dean? You’re a stranger. So, tell me. What exactly are you supposed to be to me?”

“I’ll tell you who I am. I’m the guy you never wanna see again.” Dean said. It never ceases to amaze you how easily Dean could change his attitude to cold-stone killer in the matter of seconds when he thought his real family was in danger. “Because I’ll make it out of here, trust me. And the next time you see me, I’ll be there to kill you.”

“Don’t think there’s gonna be a next time.” Samuel said, sounding so reassured of that.

“Whatever gets you through the night.” Dean said.

Samuel looked at the two of you for a second or so, when you gave the hunter a deadly glare, he shut the small door, leaving the two of you inside. You shook your head in anger from what was going on. You should have seen this coming the moment Dean told you about Crowley’s big plan of bringing you and Sam back from the dead, along with their grandfather. It was all about family. You crossed your arms over your chest and began to slowly circle the small cell that held you and Dean. There had to be a way out of here. But you didn’t think it was going to come so soon.

You heard the lock to the door click back into place, making you look over your shoulder to see the two demons that you’d seen earlier tonight standing in the doorway. You didn’t have a good feeling about any of this when you saw the both of them step inside the room. You tried your hardest to free yourself from the demon that started pulling you to the door, but you were no match. Dean was apprehended by the other demon as the both of you were dragged out into the hall and to another part of the building you thought you’d never be to before. The sudden rush of deja vu you began to feel told a different story.  
\+ + +  
You tried your hardest to fight off the demon that dragged you out of the padded cell you thought you woke up in with Dean. You had no memory of what happened over the past few hours. The struggling and kicking was wasted energy for what was going to come. You turned a corner while Dean kept going straight. You were about to ask where you were going, but you got your answer when the demon shoved you forward to a pair of double doors. You felt yourself being pushed inside to a room that looked like it was an open shower area. Now abandoned and dirty looking like the rest of this place.

You dusted yourself off and pretended like you didn’t stumble from a puddle on the floor. As you heard the door shut behind you, you looked down to the ground to see that you were standing in drying blood. You found yourself grimacing in disgust and quickly backed away before your shoes could become caked in it. But it’d be near impossible when the entire place looked like it was covered in it.

You began walking around the room, passing by what once could have been a bathtub. Now the thing was covered in a dark color hues of browns and dark reds. You peered inside to see there was what appeared to be human remains lying inside the thick looking liquid. You quickly looked away before you could empty the contents of your stomach.

“What the hell is this place?” You asked yourself.

And why did it look so eerily familiar, like you’d been here before? You blamed it on the blow to the head you got from that damn demon that took you by surprise earlier tonight. Out of curiosity to see how long you’d been here, you glance down to your watch that you’d wear on occasions, this time, you wore it so you wouldn’t be late for the drop off with Crowley’s minions. You were expecting to have had an hour, maybe a little more, pass you by. When you saw it was going on the wee hours of the morning, you were taken back in surprise. That was impossible for that much time to have gone by. Yet, you felt like you were out of it for that long.

You let out a sigh and dropped your arm back down to your side. You looked around the place as you began walking around again, wondering what kind of trick Crowley was going to throw at you. You wandered over to the other side of the room and approached a bloody shower curtain. What was behind curtain number one wasn’t what you had expected. You quickly ripped it open to reveal a decapitated head lying on the ground. But it seemed that wasn’t the worst thing that happened to the poor bastard. He had to have been gutted like a fish and suffered some serious torture.

You drew back the curtain before you could get a permanent image in your head. You let out a groan from the unsettling sight, and not to mention, the smell of this place. It was an endless fog of death and blood, along with a nice touch of decomposing corpse. You scanned the area once again, wondering where this big threat they promised you. Or if the big man himself was going to grace you with his presence one last time. You doubted that’d be such a possibility. Crowley never liked to get his hands dirty. And he didn’t have to now that he was king.

Your head turned straight to the double doors when you heard them open again. The demons came back, but they weren’t empty handed. Two other men were shoved inside the room. You noticed right away from their dirty appearance and the dried blood around their mouths, leading you to suspect they were guests here longer than you. And it seemed they were out on good behavior.

“Enjoy.” One of the demon’s said.

The cocky little smirk on his lips when he looked in your direction lead you to believe he wasn’t talking to you. You turned your attention to the two strangers standing across the room. You had a feeling only one of you were going to make it out here alive. And you were going to make sure it was you. You and the King of Hell needed to have a nice, thorough talk about a few things that had been bothering you. A couple of little monsters weren’t going to stand in your way. The doors shut behind the demons, leaving the three of you alone.

“All right, all right. Let’s be civil about this, huh?” You suggested, testing your ability to see if you could reason with them. “Two against one is a little fair, don’t you think?”

“Oh, look.” The one standing to your right said. Your face dropped slightly when you realized what you were about to face up against. “Breakfast.”

“So that’s how it’s gonna be, huh? Fine. Just answer my question.” You said. You cracked your knuckles as your lips stretched into a smirk. Your eyes flickered to the same malevolent, inky black eyes when a side you didn’t know you still had took control again. “Who would win a fight? A couple of bottom of the food chain ghouls…or a demon/hunter?”

You weren’t a stranger to a psychical fight. You had gotten into your fair share of brawls with monsters that ended up with you having cut up knuckles and bruised ribs from being thrown around a few times before winning the fight. Or having someone else try to help you. But you were alone. Not that you didn’t mind. It’d been a while since you gotten down and dirty. You had counted on tools and sharp objects to hurt monsters as a demon. It felt good to throw a punch and be slammed into the ground when one of the ghouls took you by surprise. You, the demon side, was in control again, even was for a short amount of time.

You felt yourself being slammed to the ground, one of the ghouls had brushed off your attempts at putting them down. You tried your hardest to gain control of the fight, but you were pinned into place when you felt his hands wrap around your neck, squeezing the air out of your lungs. You hand began patting around the disgusting floor to find anything useful. As the other ghoul began to attempt at taking the first bite out of your flesh, your fingers brushed against something sharp. Before he could even get a taste of your skin, you grabbed ahold of the shard of glass you conveniently found. You quickly jammed the sharp object into his neck and pulled swiftly out.

You returned the favor to his friend when you forced him to release the grip around your neck when you stabbed him in the shoulder when he wasn’t looking. As you were about to aim for his jugular, you moved your arm back just in time for what was about to happen next. You saw something swinging from the corner of your eye, for a split second you thought it was his friend, you realized it was someone else when the person swung a pipe around the ghoul’s head. He went tumbling to the ground, joining the other ghoul that was trying to mend his bleeding wound.

You managed to get out of the way when you figured out it was Sam who had come to your rescue, even though you could have perfectly handled yourself. He didn’t waste a second in swinging the metal pipe down several times before caving in the ghoul’s head, the only proper way to kill those things. You grabbed onto the awaiting hand of Dean before you could become covered in bits of skull and blood. As you got to your feet, you snapped back to normal. You looked down at the bloody piece of glass in your hand and the two dead bodies on the floor. You furrowed your brow slightly, wondering what the hell just happened. When people say they were blinded by rage, you didn’t mean they meant it literally.

You dropped the piece of glass to the floor and pretend like everything was fine. You looked over at the boys and nodded your head to the door, thinking you were about ready to meet to meet the king himself after such a long time away. But it seemed you and the boys weren’t the only one who had the pleasure of enjoying the horrors of this place. You were about to come face to face with someone that you never wanted to see again.

It was two truths and a lie: Dean might have fabricated the truth about Crowley’s demons who knocked you out in the first place. It was another demon that you had a longer history with, someone that you would have much rather see dead than Crowley—Meg. She had done nothing but make your lives a living hell over the last handful of years. She was the one responsible for killing Ellen and Jo, and the other countless things she did. Not to mention, the name calling.

You would have been happy to kill her right here and now. However, she might have been the only one who could get some answers out of Crowley. Dean made sure to say it was Sam’s idea to work with yet another demon. You didn’t notice the pissed off look the younger Winchester shot at his brother from being blamed for this situation. But if your demon side didn’t take over, Dean had a feeling his brother would do such a thing. He didn’t have a soul, he didn’t know the difference between right and wrong anymore.

For the past year, since Lucifer was put back where he belonged and Crowley took control of Hell, anyone who didn’t put their complete loyalty to the King would be hunted down and killed. Meg was obsessed with keeping her complete and utter loyalty to her father. You and Meg had one thing in common—wanting to see Crowley dead. The enemy of my enemy is my friend. Only once would you say that about her. When you got what you wanted, she was good as dead.

You and the boys split up to see where you could find her, all while making sure none of Crowley’s minions spotted you. It almost seemed hopeless in a ginormous place like this, but the female screaming that came not too far away from where you ended up gave her location away. You followed the noises and peered over the edge to see a sight of a contraption you had unfortunately been victim to with an old demon named Alistair. Who shaped you, Meg and Dean for who you are today. But the demon inflicting pain on Meg was someone who would never come close to Alistair’s masterwork.

Meg deserved nothing but terrible consequences for what she did to you. But you felt sort of bad for the demon for what was happening to her. You had been there once before. It was Alistair cutting into you. You felt bad for a freaking demon. It was the empathetic side of you that you hated, but also missed. The demon, still using Christian Campbell as a meat suit, continued on carving into Meg, he never saw you coming. Meg’s screams slowly stopped for a moment when she spotted the sight of you creeping forward. Her lips stretched into a smile as she began laughing like all of this was a big joke. Christian pushed himself up to his feet and stared at Meg with a confused expression.

“What are you laughing at?” He asked her.

“Y/N Y/L/N’s behind you, meat sack.” Meg told him. Her lips stretching even farther into a grin when she saw you rip the knife out of Christian’s grip before he could use it on you or Meg. You shoved the knife into his backside. The last thing the demon would ever see was the tip of the blade sticking out from his chest before you roughly ripped it out. You stepped out of the way so his body could fall to the ground. You let out a breath, feeling some relief at what you had been wanting to do for the past year since you met him. “Boy, am I glad to see your pretty face.”

“Wish I could say the same about your meat suit. How the mighty have fallen now that daddy’s not here to save you.“ You said. You stared at the demon for a moment as you stepped over Christian’s body, wondering what you wanted to do. You pointed the bloody end of the knife in Meg’s direction. Letting out a sigh, you wondered how you managed to get to this point in your life. “If I let you go, you better stick to your promise. Or I swear, whatever Christian did is gonna look like foreplay.”

"I love it when you talk dirty.” Meg said. You rolled your eyes and gritted your teeth in frustration from what you were about to do. The demon stared at you for a moment as she watched you tuck the knife safely into the back pocket of your jeans. As you began working on freeing her wrist from the leather strap, she spoke up when you got it free, giving her definite escape if this went south. “So, who am I having the pleasure of speaking to? You or the pesky little demon side you still can’t shake? Personally, I like you better as a demon. You’re more…”

You froze in your spot from what you heard. You looked over at Meg as your lips stretched into a faint smile. “If this is your cheap attempt at trying to get under my skin, it’s not gonna work. Call me a mutt, whatever to make you feel nostalgic. Hate to break it to you sister, but I’m human now.” You said. “There’s a long story involved, but I hate you too much to explain.”

“Then who have I been having the pleasure of bonding with all night?” Meg asked. You looked over at her and rolled your eyes. “Don’t get all jugey on me, now. What we have is something special, Y/N. I thought we were getting past all the crap we did before. Besides, this entire plan was your idea.”

“What? No, it wasn’t. Sam was the one who suggested this stupid plan.” You said. “Why would I want to work with something like you?”

“Don’t be shy, Y/N. This is a safe place from the Winchesters and Crowley. There’s nothing wrong with being a little mutt. Hell, embrace the power of being one of us.” Meg said. You turned your gaze to the demon and gave her a cold glare from how agitated she was making you feel. “Why are you getting all pouty? Be proud of the work you’ve been doing this past year. Alistair sure would be happy to see how you turned out.”

Your face scrunched up as your glare now turned into complete and utter confusion from what Meg was going on about. “Proud of what?”

“Don’t give me that dumb, blond act. You seriously think you’ve been wrangling monsters this entire year with the Winchesters?” Meg asked with a sarcastic tone in her voice, thinking you were just avoiding the truth that every demon knew. You nodded your head. Of course it was what you were doing. What else would you be? Meg’s facial expression began to change when she realized the clueless face she was staring at was genuine. “Wow. Either you’re one hell of a liar…Or, you don’t know what’s been going on. Do you?”

You looked over your shoulder to see that the only two people here were just you and Meg. Before you could rethink this, you quickly pulled out the knife and pointed it at the demon. You narrowed your eyes on her. Meg said a lot of stupid things. Some of it was the truth, some of it was things to get under your skin. But the lines felt blurred at what she was going on about.

“Look here, you little bitch. Ever since I’ve known you, all you’ve ever done is make my life a living hell. Do you know how many times I wanted to kill you? Lots.” You said. You stepped forward to the demon as you placed the knife to the crook of her neck, showing Meg that you would keep to your promise. “You’ve got five seconds to tell me what the hell you’re talking about. And if you want to live past tonight, you better tell the truth.” And she did.

\+ + +

Demons only told the truth for one reason; their own personal benefit. You thought what came out of Meg’s mouth was a story she was spinning to make you put your guard and make her first move. But she never did. She told you a side of a story that felt like it was fiction. Meg said how she caught you and the boys off guard back at the house. She was expecting to see you back to normal from the precautions you pulled. She thought all the gossip about Y/N Y/L/N being half demon again and working for Crowley was too good to be true. The black eyes and snarky attitude you gave her told a much different story.

She told you about how it was your idea for you and her to take Crowley down. You had lead the group into this place and acted like a fearless leader Meg would have been happy to follow. But your signature move of self sacrifice made her knock off a few points when all of you were surrounded by hellhounds. Meg had admitted she was the one who had fought them off. She thought it was the least she could do after what she did last year.

“All though, that Castiel fellow…he’s a good kisser.”

Cas had been here, too? You forced yourself not to ask what sort of events lead to an angel and a demon making out. You were focused on wondering when Cas had graced you and the boys with his presence. Meg mentioned about how you conned him into getting here. You tried your hardest to remember, but all of your memories were coming up blank. This entire night was nothing but filled with darkness.

You’ve been dealing with these blackouts ever since you came back from the cage. You had been blaming it on some sort of medical disorder…but what if it wasn’t? All you knew was that something was going on here. And you were going to get to the bottom of this.

You didn’t mention your personal conversation with Meg when the brothers figured out where you ended up. You and Meg pretended like you hated each other, like always. When she got dressed back into her hound ripped clothes and added a few details around the room, all of you got into position before you pulled on the fire alarm, calling down your guest of honor. It took a minute or so until you saw Crowley step into the room, discovering the mess you left him. A dead body on the floor and a missing demon on the loose.

You pushed the lever to the fire alarm back up, letting the sirens cut off, making him become eerily still. The demon turned around in his spot to to look at the fire alarm, stumbling upon the sight of you standing there with Dean by your side. The both of you patiently waiting for his arrival.

“Hiya, Crowley.” You greeted the demon with a smile. “You’re a hard son of a bitch to pin down.”

“Here I am.” Crowley said. He seemed suspicious of what was going on here as he narrowed his eyes on you, not liking the smirk that settled on your lips. “If I’m not mistaken, you two should be ghoul scat by now.”

You raised your brow, wondering why he was underestimating you and the Winchesters. He’d seen first hand what you and the boys do to demons like him. But if he wanted to have a first hand experience, then you’d gladly give it to him. You moved your gaze away from Crowley for a second when you saw Sam come out of the corner he’d been hiding in. When the demon least expected it, the younger Winchester knocked Crowley against the back of his head with a heavy wrench. You watched as the demon fell to his knees and stumbled to get back up quick enough. The blow was hard enough to make Crowley crawl to the exact spot you marked for him.

“Was that really necessary? I just had this dry-cleaned.” Crowley complained. You watched as he pushed himself back up to his feet, dusting off the dirt from his palms and perfectly pressed black suit. It only took him a second to realize that he’d fallen for the oldest trick in the book. Your smirk grew even wider when he noticed the devil’s trap spray painted on the ceiling, leaving him trapped and powerless. “So to what I owe the reach-around?”

“We’re just here to talk, Crowley. That’s it.” You told him. You reached a hand inside your jacket and pulled out the knife, contradicting the friendly voice you were giving him. “You see, my boys and I’ve been wanting to talk to you for quite some time now. We have some…concerns for how you’re running things. But we come in complete and total peace. We want you to feel like you can be your true self. You know? No secrets, no two faced personalities.”

Crowley’s expression began to damper ever so slowly from the language you were using around him. He looked in the boy’s direction, wondering who had been the one to spill the dirty secret. But they seemed just as concerned as the demon. “You know, for a short time, I kind of tolerated you. I don’t know if it was the accent, or your old world sass that swooned me. But, then again, you’re the same kind of scum that I’ve been dealing with my entire life. Give someone an inch and they’ll take a mile.”

“That’s what you get for making a deal with me, darling.” Crowley warned you.

“Ah, that’s where you’re wrong here. I don’t make deals with demons. I kill them.” You said. Your hand wrapped around the wooden handle of the knife as your other finger grazed down the smooth side of the blade. “You see, I don’t like demons who try and pull stunts on me without my knowledge. Normally this would be the part where I’d stab you. But you’re no good to us dead. Yet. We’ve still got a few questions to ask you. And I have a friend whom I’m sure you’ll be more than happy to open up to.”

You turned your head to look over your shoulder as Meg stepped into the doorway, gracing all of you with her presence. Her lips stretched into a smile as she greeted the demon, sticking with first name basis. Crowley, however, thought greeting his fellow demon by calling her a whore. You winced at his mistake as you looked over at Meg, wondering if she was going to take that kind of derogatory name calling that was a bit harsh. She didn’t hesitate to retaliate when she knew she wouldn’t suffer consequences from harming the king. The demon made a fist, and just a second later, Crowley was bent over, coughing up blood.

“The best torturers never get their hands dirty.” Meg said. You nodded your head, as if you were taking mental note. “That’s better. Y/N wants a word with you.”

Crowley was a bit delayed when he was busy coughing off the remainder of the blood that salivated in his mouth from what Meg had done to him. He spit out the contents to the floor and looked up at you, blood staining his bottom lip. “What can I do for you, Y/N?”

“Oh, so many things. World peace, ending world hunger. But let’s save them for another day. How about we discuss what you did to Sam and I.” You said. “Now, we know what you did to him. You forgot his soul as a cheap excuse to have us wrapped around your finger. But nobody gets pulled out of the cage for free. My deal I made with you back when Lucifer was still running around. It doesn’t take an idiot to realize that’s what you used to pull me out.”

“Congratulations. Once again, you’ve proven to be the smartest one.” Crowley said. “Do you want a gold star?”

“I want the truth. Let’s start with something easy.” You said, your eyes narrowing in on the demon from what you were about to discuss with him. “I remember the deal I made with you. It was pretty black and white. You only wanted one thing from me—protection. You’d give me the grace in return, along with something else.”

“Ah, yes. The perks of being a demon with all those pesky human emotions included. I did keep to our promise if that’s what you’re so concerned about.” Crowley said. Your expression dropped when you realized what he’d done to you. “I took some creative liberty and tweaked a bit at the final outcome. Couldn’t have Lucifer’s little mutt running around here without a muzzle.”

“You did a pretty crappy job on that, if I may say.” Meg said. “And here I thought you grew some balls, Y/N. I kind of liked you as a demon. But for a human, you’re not too bad.”

“Stick around sweetcheeks, I’m just warming up.” You said. You gave the demon a smirk as you turned your attention back to Crowley. “I want Sam soul’s back. I want you to make me human.

I want all my memories of what I did as a demon.”

Crowley must have thought you were joking when you told him your demands and responded with a simple no. You let out a sigh and stared at the demon with an almost disappointed look in your face from the poor decision making. You looked over at Meg and nodded your head, giving her the command to do what she did best. The demon clenched her fist and watched as Crowley dropped to his knees from the agonizing pain he must have been feeling right now. It felt kind of satisfying watching him bend over and cough up blood. He was at your mercy. It seemed what Meg was doing was working. He turned his head to look at you.

“I can’t.” He said. You looked at him with a puzzled expression, asking him if he couldn’t. Or was choosing to make this even harder on himself. “I can’t. I can’t help your mop-headed lumberjack friend. I was lucky enough to get this much of Sam out. Going back in there for the sloppy bits? No way. I’m good, but for those two in there? Forget it.”

“How do I know you’re not lying?” You asked him.

“You don’t. But it doesn’t change anything. I’m telling you. Sam, why do you want the thing back?” Crowley asked the younger Winchester. You slowly moved your gaze down to the ground when you wondered if this soul retrieval would be harder than you expected. Not that it was going to be a walk in the park. “Satan’s got one juicy source of entertainment in there since Y/N left. I’d swallow a rag off a bathhouse floor before I took that soul. Unless you want to be a drooling mess.”

Meg seemed to understand what her father was capable of. You had memories of the cage that still haunted you to this very day. And you were only in there for a short time. A year’s worth would destroy anyone, including the younger Winchester. “Sam, I hate to say it,” Meg decided to be the one who spoke up about what might have been the most logical plan of action. “But I think he’s right.”

“Yeah, right.” Sam said. The man was processing the information as he began to think about the consequences. “I get it, thanks.”

You contemplated for a moment of what the right thing to do was at this point. You looked down at the knife for a second or two before you handed it out to Meg. "He’s all yours.”

“Hold up.” Dean said. He grabbed your wrist and forced you to look at him before you could do something stupid out of sheer anger. “Are you crazy? He’s our only hope.”

“Dean, you heard him. He can’t get it. He’s useless. And besides, if he’s dead that means the contract I have with him disappears. One less problem we’ve got to deal with.” You said. You looked over at the demon to see that he was still on his knees, at your mercy for what you could do to him. When Dean took a moment to realize this, and how you knew everything without dropping dead like Crowley threatened him with, he let go of your wrist and took a step back. You pointed the handle of the knife to Meg for her to take. “Make me proud, bitch.”

“Only for you, mutt.” Meg gladly took ahold of the knife and held it her grip. Who would have thought the both of you had been in the same room together for this long without trying to kill each other. The two of you had butted heads a lot over the past several years. She proved herself useful when she walked over to Crowley, whom the both of you shared a hatred before. But all the new found love made her stop in her tracks. You were still a hunter. “You’ll let me out, right?”

“Of course.” You lied to her as your lips stretched into a smile. Stupid bitch.

Meg believed what you had said, not knowing this was going to be like killing two birds with one stone. You crossed your arms over your chest as your lips stretched into a smirk, thinking you had this entire situation planned out. Meg turned her attention to the demon below her and tightened the grip on the knife, ready to seek her revenge she’d so desperately been waiting for. “This is for Lucifer, you pompous little—“

Crowley might have had a disadvantage of having three against one. But you don’t stay the king unless you know how to get your hands dirty when someone tries to take it away. Meg was too caught up thinking of the ways she was going to carve the demon up, she didn’t realize Crowley swiftly kicked her feet out from underneath her. She went falling to the ground, and before she could grab the knife that fell from her grip, the other demon snatched it up. You cursed underneath your breath when you realized what he was about to do. The demon gave you a smirk as he threw the knife up to the ceiling, breaking the devil’s trap.

“That’s better.” Crowley didn’t waste a second in making sure he had you and the boys where he wanted you. You didn’t realize you were thrown halfway across the room until you felt your head roughly hit the glass wall. You winced from the extricating pain that throbbed in your head from what Crowley had done. Meg pushed herself back to her feet, but before she could even think of a single move, Crowley pointed the knife at her. “You don’t know torture, you little insect. If you want to learn a thing or two, Y/N’s a good teacher. Learned from the very best.”

“So it’s true?” You asked. You managed to see only one version of Crowley as you maneuvered your head so it wasn’t pressed against broken glass. You reached out a hand to see if Crowley was holding you down like he was for the boys. But it seemed he thought he didn’t have to control you anymore as you pushed yourself to your feet. “You’re not the one who’s been torturing the things we’ve been getting you. I

am. That’s why you pulled me out of the cage.”

"You’ve got a real knack for it. You’ve been under the knife here more than anyone I know. Who else do you think I would choose to help me?” Crowley asked. You stared at the demon with a cold expression, hoping if looks could kill, he’d drop dead to save you the trouble from doing it yourself. “You think shoving Moose’s soul down his throat is going to be a challenge? I wonder what it’d be like to have a year and a half worth of memories come flashing back. Any guesses? Let’s find out.”

You swallowed slightly, knowing in the back of your head that you asked for this. You wanted to know what you’ve done over the past year. And out of any request you wanted fulfilled, Crowley was happy to oblige with this one. All he had to do was snap his fingers and every single one of your memories as being a demon from over the past year and a half filled your tiny little nogon. What kind of effect it would have on you lingered in the back of your mind for a moment, unsure of how it would feel. But you got your answer just a split second later when it happened.

You’ve had headaches and the occasional nasty migraine that left you bed ridden from time to time when all your senses were on edge, sensitive to just about anything. Nothing compared to this. It felt like your head was about to explode. There were so many things running through your head, so many memories you couldn’t process at once. Yet, you were forced to. You couldn’t block it out.

You didn’t realize your knees buckle underneath your weight until you felt an ache settle in your body from the rough impact to the ground. Your hands cradled your head as you tried to block out the things that nobody should feel. Or do, for that matter. In reality, the situation you forced yourself into had only lasted for just a few seconds. To you, it felt like a lifetime worth of pain you’ve never experienced before. And never wanted to ever again. Thanks to a friend, you felt the sensation disappear.

You opened your eyes to see there was a hand in front of your face. Looking up, it belonged to a fellow angel friend. Cas helped you back up to your feet and gave you a concerned look, wanting to make sure that you were okay. You nodded your head slowly as you turned your attention to Crowley.

“Leave them alone.” Cas warned the demon.

“Castiel. Haven’t seen you all season. You’re the cavalry now?” Cas asked. The angel ordered for Crowley to put down the knife that he was still pointed dangerously close to Meg. “You that bossy in heaven? Hear you’re losing to Raphael. The whole affair makes Vietnam look like a roller derby.” Cas didn’t respond. He simply reached a hand inside the sack he had popped in with. “Hey, what’s in the gift bag?”

Cas held up a skull for the demon to see, “You are.”

You watched as Crowley’s smug expression began to fade slightly as he stared at the human remains. “Not possible.” He said, trying to call the angel’s bluff.

“You didn’t hide your bones well as you should have.” Cas said.

Crowley pretended to be impressed at what the angel had done, so much he tucked the knife underneath his arm and gave Cas a round of applause. “Cookie for you.”

Cas dropped the sack to the ground and turned his attention back to the demon to ask the most important question at the moment. “Can you restore Sam’s soul or not?”

The demon snapped his fingers, releasing the boys from the invisible force pinning them against the brick wall. You looked over your shoulder to make sure they were all right. “If I can help out any other—” You cut off Crowley, forcing him to answer all of you straight out. He fell silent for a moment or two, deciding that all of you had him cornered, the only answer he could give you was the truth. “I can’t.”

Cas decided that was enough, all of you didn’t need to associate with Crowley anymore. You learned a new trick about how to kill a demon without using the knife. Demons were once human like all of you, and just like a vengeful spirit, you could easily get rid of them by burning their bones. And the angel did exactly that. Cas set the bag of bones on fire, and in the matter of seconds, you watched as Crowley burst into flames. No ounce of remorse filled your head as he soon turned into nothing more than ash when he disappeared just seconds later. Just like that, Crowley was gone. Never to be heard from again.

You turned your attention over to Meg, the only demon remaining. You walked forward to the pile of ash and dust to pick up the knife, wanting to do something that had been itching to do for years. As you stood back up and held the knife in your grip, you felt it tighten even more when you saw her disappear without a trace. The little bitch managed to sneak away, yet again.

“Well, she’s smart. I’ll give her that. I was gonna kill her, too.” Dean muttered. He looked over to the angel to give him an offer that he thought Cas would jump on from the moves he pulled with Meg earlier tonight. “Of course, I’d have given you an hour with her first.”

Cas looked at the hunter with a confused expression, “Why would I want that?”  
\+ + +  
What was the difference between right and wrong? How far should someone go to save the people around them? You and the boys would be the first people to admit you’ve done a lot of stupid things for the sake of saving each other’s lives. Selling souls and siding with the wrong crowd to help. The situation that all of you were dealing with was far different than anything the three of you had dealt with before. What if someone didn’t want their soul back, but the people around them wanted it because it made them feel more comfortable? What if someone had their memories erased of all the terrible things they did? Even though they thought they could handle the crushing guilt they tried so desperately hard to hide?

The human soul was such a fickle thing. Sam’s soul was missing from his body, trapped down below in a place where it had only saw torture and endless darkness. If he took the chance of letting himself go on the way that he was, emotionless, who knew how much longer the people around him could take it. Dean thought that his problems started and ended with his brother’s soulless body. But it wasn’t. It never was. The brothers and Castiel thought you had come back as a demon. And you did. But your soul wasn’t like it was before, it was…well. It was appearing to be more complicated than one thought.

“Wait,” Dean said. His brow scrunched up slightly as he appeared confused from the diagnostic he hearing about you from his fellow angel friend. “Is that even possible?”

The older Winchester sat on a motel bed with his back pressed a rickety old headboard that had seen better days with you nestled in the crook of his arms, unconscious. Sam pulled up a chair from the desk as Castiel stood over the bed with an overwhelmed expression. All of you were miles from the prison that once housed all of Crowley’s monsters, and halfway to Bobby’s place when all of you were back to square one with Sam. However, another problem arised with the four of you. It wasn’t just about Sam anymore—you roped yourself into a messy situation.

You were always too curious for your own good. You learned the truth about yourself even though you weren’t supposed to by having a heart to heart with Meg, a demon you would have taken every chance to stab than believe anything that came out of her mouth. The boys had expected the worst when you had confronted Crowley about what you discovered. At first it was anti-climatic. Crowley’s threats were just as empty as his soul. You didn’t drop dead like the boys thought. However, the consequences wouldn’t be anything that you swore could handle.

“This situation is nothing like I’ve ever seen.” Cas mumbled. He rolled down his sleeve after he decided to take a peek into your soul to take a closer inspection to what Crowley had done. He needed to know so he could find out a way to fix you. What he discovered was nothing he had once expected to see “I should have checked Y/N when I looked at Sam. Psychically, she’s in perfect health. But her soul…”

“It’s split like her personality, right?” Sam repeated what the angel had told him and his brother. Dean gave him brother a look from across the room, not exactly pleased from how blunt he was being about the woman that was passed out in his arms at the moment. A few minutes ago he had struggled on his own to keep you down while Cas took a closer inspection. Sam rolled his eyes from his brother’s sensitive behavior as he looked back to Cas. “You think the angel grace had something to do with it?”

“Yes. That’s what it looks like to me. The grace must have made her human, pulled the demon out of her like I thought. But what Crowley did…” Cas said. The angel found himself talking to only himself as he stared off into space as he began to concentrate, losing focus on everything around him. When Dean called out the angel’s name, Cas looked over at the older Winchester to see the man appeared impatient. “Y/N’s soul appears to be in two different pieces.”

“In english, poindexter.” Dean said. “You’re saying…”

“I’m saying Y/N’s soul is in two pieces. The human side—it’s clean as any other human. It has no emotional damage of what happened to her. And then there’s her demon side.” Cas tried to explain the best way that he could to the Winchesters. “Human souls turn into demons from centuries of torture. It’s the endless exposure to violence that makes them what they are.“

"Thanks for the lesson on something we already knew about.” Sam said. “What does that have to do with Y/N?”

“Y/N was born a cambion—half human, half demon. Her soul was already halfway in the process of turning. Y/N’s soul grew worse when she and Lucifer died. He did something to her to speed up the process. Endless exposure to things he knew would break her down.” Cas said. The boys still didn’t understand what the angel was trying to say. “The demon inside Y/N has managed to stay strong because of the things she was exposed to in the cage. It’s sucking up all the negative energy and feeds off of it.”

‘Well, is there a way to fix her?” Dean asked the angel, hoping there could be an easy fix to a problem they had dealt with before. “Can’t you just yank the demon out of her our something?”

“No. I wish it were that simple. That’s why I’m hesitant for Y/N to keep her memories of what she did for Crowley. It would only make things more complicated. Perhaps the guilt she would feel over time would feed the demon side. Make it grow stronger…in time, it might take control of her body again.” Cas warned. Dean swallowed as he asked what the angel could do could before a situation like that could even become a possibility. “I could wipe her memory. Make her forget what happened from the past year and a half. If she doesn’t know her demon side is still there, perhaps it could stay quiet until we figure a more permanent solution.”

“Don’t you think we should ask Y/N first—”

“Let’s do it.”

Dean cut off his little brother, not wanting to hear any sort of excuse that the man wanted to try and bring up. He had no soul, he didn’t know what the right thing was to do here. Cas didn’t hesitate a moment in siding with the older Winchester. Wiping someone’s memory wasn’t hard as one would think. The angel pressed a finger against your temple, and just like that, a year and a half of wickedness was gone. And replaced with a happy memory of a bittersweet victory. Dean let out a quiet sigh and slowly looked down at you. Part of him felt relief.

“Thanks, Cas.” Dean said, looking back up at the angel. “If it hadn’t been for you…”

“It’s the least I can do for now. I’m afraid Crowley was right. It’s not going well for me upstairs.” Cas admitted, sharing some of his own burdens to the Winchesters. Dean tried to lend a hand of support, but the angel quickly shook his head. “I wish circumstances were different. Much of the time, I’d rather be here.”

“We know you got a steaming pile on your plate. There’s no need for apologies.” Dean said. “We’re your friends.”

Cas internally winced at the word, for that wasn’t something he was to the three of you lately. He turned his attention to the younger Winchester. “Listen, Sam. We’ll find another way.”

Sam nodded his head, but he didn’t believe a second in the lie. Cas disappeared the moment the boys blinked, leaving the three of you alone once again. Before the room could fall into a silence, Dean spoke up. “He’s right, you know. About your soul. We’ll figure something else out.”

“No, we won’t.” Sam said, his way of thinking was blunt as his attitude.

“Oh, why, because Crowley said—”

“You heard what Crowley said. And I heard what Cas said. Putting this thing back in would smash me to bits.” Sam said. Dean tried his hardest to once again try and control the man, switch his way of thinking of what was supposed to be the right thing. “You know what? When angels and demons agree on something…call me nuts, I pay attention.”

“You say this now?” Dean questioned his little brother. “After we practically died trying to—”

“Exactly. We almost got ourselves killed. I mean, how many times do we risk our asses for this? Enough’s enough.” Sam said. “I don’t think I want it back.”

Dean scoffed at his brother’s thinking, “You don’t even know what you’re saying.”

“No, I’m saying something you don’t like. You obviously care a lot. But I think I’m better off without it.” Sam said. He pushed himself up to his feet and began walking to the door, deciding that he needed some space from his brother, who claimed that he was wrong. The younger man stopped in his tracks and turned around to face Dean. “I’m not sure about that. What if we do get my soul back? You force that thing back in me…I’ll tell Y/N what you did to her. How do you think she’ll handle the fact that you wiped her memory without her permission?“

“It was for her own safety.” Dean defended himself. Sam rolled his eyes from his brother’s lousy excuse. It’s exactly what his brother wanted, so he did it. He always thought he had to look out for everyone and do the right thing. Sometimes the right thing was disguised as what the older Winchester wanted. “If you know what’s good for you, I’d advise you to get the hell out of my face. And I swear, you breathe a word of this to Y/N, I'll…”

"You’ll, what?” Sam asked, wondering what kind of threat his brother wasn’t going to promise to keep. The younger Winchester didn’t hesitate to listen to the command. He pushed himself up to his feet and headed out the door, making sure to slam the door shut behind him.

\+ + +

All though you were back to square one with finding Sam’s soul, you wouldn’t admit defeat on this situation. You were confident as ever for the man to go back to who he used to be. Things were a bit rocky, but when weren’t they? There was always complications and consequences to things you wanted. You had one person to count on to retrieve Sam’s soul—and that was Crowley himself. But he was out of the picture for good. You were honestly happy about that.

The son of a bitch got what was coming to him. Just like every demon and monster you ever faced. It might take time, but eventually, there’d be a happy ending for you and the boys. For your own personal one? That was still a work in progress. Right now, you felt…content.

All though your current situation might not have called for it. The boys had gotten into a fight. Yet again. The both of them bumped heads about what each of them thought was the right thing to do was. It was nothing new. You had dealt with the dynamics for years. As you tried to stay neutral, you found yourself siding with Dean on this one. Sam needed his soul back. As for the consequences? There had to be a way around them. You would make sure of it. For the sake of making him back to the Sammy that you missed so much.

Dean swore that he couldn’t be in the same room with his brother. He gotten to his wit’s end of what he could take from the man and his sleepless nights. You quickly suggested the idea for him to sleep in your motel room and Sam could bunk by himself. All though Sam refused to switch rooms with the both of you, Dean didn’t put up a fight. And here the both of you were with the older Winchester. It almost felt like any other night you spent with him. Just the two of you, nestled away from the worries of the world and the monsters around you.

The night was calming down as the digital time on the top middle corner of your reading tablet read a little after midnight. You sat on the bed with your back pressed against the headboard and legs stretched out, engrossed in the fictional world of the book you were reading. Having a life on the road meant your possessions dwindled down to no more than a few bags. Reading was a pleasure you couldn’t enjoy since becoming a hunter. However, during a rare trip home, a good friend of yours gifted you with a tablet that held all of your favorite novels. Along with a few that were a guilty pleasure to read.

The TV softy running in the background and the rain quietly hitting against the window didn’t prove to be a distraction when your eyes wandered up from the screen for the third time in the past five minutes. It was the man standing in the bathroom with the door wide open. He was getting himself ready for bed after you hogged it to take a shower and change your clothes into pajamas, which consisted of his old button up shirts that he long forgot about. You tried your hardest to concentrate back on the words you had been reading. But the only thing you could stare at was the way Dean looked in nothing more than his boxers and his black shirt.

It’d been over a year and a half since you and him shared a room together. You remembered it was a regular thing…back when you were a couple. Now that felt like centuries ago. Hell, just the two of you being alone in the same room together felt like it never happened anymore. You and him didn’t say much tonight, but you didn’t need you. Just being around him felt good. There was no tension, no soulless brother or two faced bald headed grandfather to ruin the calm mood the two of you craved.

Dean finished the last of his routine by brushing his teeth and stared at himself in the mirror, listening to the show he put on when you got yourself engrossed in some book you were reading. He found his gaze lingering away from his reflection and to the woman lying in bed with a look of concentration. You didn’t realize it, but he could always tell what was going on in the plot of some book you were reading. When it got good, your brow would slightly rise as your mouth fell partly open. As a scene progress into tension, you would sit up straight and stare at the words with complete focus. There were the rare moments he caught you tearing up. You would quickly pretend like nothing was wrong.

He thought to himself to how cute you looked right now. You wearing his shirts with your hair looking all sorts out of place as it was air drying from the shower you took a little while ago. The scent of your favorite body wash you religiously used for years lingered in the bathroom. Dean inhaled a breath when he subconsciously thought about it again. He remembered that was one of his favorites things about sharing a bed with you was your smell. People had certain scents that brought them to a certain place back in their past. It made him remember the days you and him used to share as a couple.

Dean mentally started to beat himself up again when he declined the offer to share the same bed with you. It wasn’t like you and him had done it before. He wanted to be a gentleman and decided to take the floor. After all, Sam was the one being the dick here and Dean was the one intruding on your personal space. The both of you wanted to pretend like the events that had unfolded over the past few weeks didn’t happen. You and Dean were ready to let the past go and move on. But the two of you didn’t know that about each other. Not yet, at least.

You swiped a finger across the screen to finish the last page of the chapter as Dean washed his mouth out with water before spitting out the rest of the toothpaste. Flicking off the light and heading back into the room, Dean headed over to his makeshift bed of blankets and a pillow you lended him. He turned off the TV and looked over at you. You glanced up from the tablet and gave him a small smile when you realized he was ready for bed.

“Sure you don’t the bed?” You asked him, once again. You locked your tablet and set it down on the nightstand for safekeeping. “I don’t mind sleeping on the floor.”

“No, no. Sam and I always made you sleep on the couch or with me when we’ve had to share rooms.” Dean said. “It’s fine. Trust me.”

Your smile faltered only slightly as you tried to hide your disappointment when Dean pretended like he was perfectly fine with these conditions. You slipped yourself underneath the sheets as Dean god himself comfortable on the carpeted floors that felt like he was lying on concrete. But he didn’t dare complain. He heard the mattress springs squeak from your shifting weight before the room fell into darkness when you turned off the bedside lamp. The both of you now laid in your beds and stared into the ceiling, the room remaining silent for a few moments. 

“Good night, sweetheart.”

“Good night, Dean.”

\+ + +

You honestly tried to sleep on your own. You tried sleeping on your back. On your left side. Maybe on the right would do the trick. Perhaps lying flat on your stomach? No. That was uncomfortable. You struggled not to toss and turn over the next few hours for the sake of Dean. You gave up on sleep for the meantime when the time on the clock read a little after two in the morning. You laid on your backside and stared at the ceiling, your brain decided it was the perfect night to replay the entire history Dean and Y/N. The high and lows of your very strange relationship. And how the hell you got to this point.

Your relationship wasn’t conventional. Hell, it was downright a little bit weird. (Considering the fact that it once was part of the plot to end the world.) The both of you realized after several mishaps and near death experiences that you loved each other. It still had its ups and downs. What relationship didn’t? You and Dean had done things to cope with the loneliness of being apart for the year after all of you saved the world. Dean went to Lisa to live an apple pie life he thought he wanted. You tried to find comfort in a soulless man, thinking he was exactly like his brother for all the wrong reasons.

The both of you weren’t miserable with the lives you tried to live…but you weren’t happy. You still loved Dean. And Dean still loved you. The both of you admitted it when you were working on a case with the goddess of truth. Along with a few things that had slipped out by accident. You had to admit the past to grow from it. Now it was water under the bridge. Getting over something like that would have been the perfect excuse to slowly start going back to where you and him once were. Yet, with everything that was going on…you were hesitant.

Where to even start? There was the elephant in the room, Sam and his soulless body. He was a handful of his own to be taken care of. Not to mention Lisa. Sure, the both of you still loved each other. But that only meant so much. What if he didn’t want to be with you? And what about Lisa and Ben? He spent the entire year with them. It wasn’t like they were going to get back together again. Things between the Braden family and Dean ended on a very sour note. You weren’t expecting Lisa to call Dean up and invite him over to dinner anytime soon. Things only ended between them recently, and you were sure he was still hurting to jump back into something.

You and Dean shared a lot of firsts with each other; you were each other’s first real relationship. He was your first person that you became intimate with. You had a history that was colorful to look back on. It wasn’t never a dull moment with him. Even when you were at the lowest point with him, you still wanted Dean. Did he still want you? You let out a frustrated sigh as you rolled your eyes , wondering why your brain had to suddenly fill with unanswerable questions.

You pushed yourself up from the bed and decided to do something a bit out of the blue. You quietly maneuvered yourself so you were lying on your stomach at the edge of the bed. You folded your arms and rested your head to the side. Your eyes had adjusted to the darkness long ago as the street lamps from the motel parking lot shined a little bit of light into the room. A small smile began to creep at the ends of your lips when you stared at the man peacefully sleeping just a few feet on the ground below.

When the both of you were a couple, on the occasional times where you would wake up in the middle of the night, you would see Dean passed out next to you in bed when he actually allowed himself to sleep. It was the most peaceful you ever see him. You would stare at him for the longest time, wondering how the hell you got so lucky to have a man like Dean.

Sure, Dean wasn’t perfect. He had his problems. He had burdens from his past that he never let show and always had his guard up. His history with women were questionable and he drank too much. He always tried to take control of a situation and never showed his vulnerability. He carried the weight of the world on his shoulders. And never once did he ever gripe about it.

“This totally isn’t creepy.” You whispered to yourself, suddenly realizing what you were doing in the middle of the night. You made sure you kept your tone of voice so quiet, you barely heard yourself so Dean wouldn’t listen. Staring at someone while they slept was a little bit weird. But he looked so cute when he was sleeping. Your lips stretched into a small smile as you tilted your head to the side, making yourself more comfortable. “You know, whenever I tried doing this before when we were dating, you’d always wake up. And I’d get so embarrassed…”

You suddenly fell silent when you wondered if you were talking too loudy. Dean was a light sleeper, it came with the territory of being a hunter. And he was sleeping on the ground. But he didn’t wake up. He didn’t even stir. You let out a quiet sigh as you swallowed slightly. “You’re sleeping. And I’m watching you like some creep. To be fair, you did the same thing to me.”

You said. It was three in the morning at this point and you were talking to yourself. You were tired and you were losing your mind. “If this was a movie, this probably would be the point where I start spilling my guts about everything. In my defense, our lives are forever cemented in those God awful 'Supernatural’ books. Which I own all of them, by the way. Hell. I’ve read them a handful of times this year. You wanna know why?”

You fell silent again as you slightly peered over the edge of the bed to see if Dean was going to wake up. But he didn’t. “I like reading the parts that are about us. It makes me happy. And sad, too. Because it makes me wonder if what he had is really gone. I mean, we love each other. I know that. But I’m too scared to ask. ‘Hey, wanna get back together’?”

You pressed your face down into the comforter and let out a sigh, wondering why you were saying this. You always found it so cliched for characters in books and movies to be doing something like this. But here you were, in the middle of the night, confessing your feelings to a sleeping Dean. "You know, annoying as Chuck was, he wasn’t that bad of a writer. I wonder where that guy is. I haven’t heard from him since last year. It’s like he disappeared. I would totally love a new book to ask what the hell you’re thinking right now, Dean.”

You let out a yawn as you started to grow tired from the confession that you got off your chest once and for all. You didn’t grab a pillow or the comforter to wrap around your body. You fell asleep lying on your stomach at the edge of the bed with Dean just a few feet from you, who had heard everything you said.

\+ + +

Morning came around several hours later when you fell asleep on the wrong side of the bed. Dean woke up early with pain in his back that made him feel older than he was and cranky from the lack of sleep that he got. But the sight of you passed out on the bed, oblivious to your surroundings, made his attitude perk up ever so slightly. He decided to let you sleep and got ready for the day. There was nothing a good cup of coffee and painkillers couldn’t fix. You didn’t even stir awake when Dean slipped out for a little while to find breakfast for the both of you.

While you were alone in the motel room for a little while, you kept on sleeping as your dreams continued on. You hadn’t moved a single inch when Dean came back a little while later with two cups of steaming hot coffee and a small paper bag full of breakfast food. He set the contents down on the table and tossed the keys to the Impala down as well. Dean decided to have a bit of fun with you when he sat himself down right next to you. He waited to see if you would wake up from his weight dipping the mattress down. But you didn’t even move. Dean lowered himself to your level and tried to wake you up pleasantly.

“Wakey, wakey. Eggs and bakey.“ Dean whispered in your ear. You must have heard him, but you only shifted around in bed and mumbled something about five more minutes. He decided that he would be cheeky. You woke up with a fright when you felt someone’s palm lightly slap your ass. You quickly turned your gaze to see that Dean was sitting next to you with a smug grin on his face.

"What the hell, Dean?” You asked him. “That was a little unnecessary.”

“What? Not like I haven’t done that, before.” Dean said. Your tired eyes narrowed on the man from his cheeky remark that you couldn’t tolerate from the lack of caffeine in your system. You managed to hide your anxious feeling in your groggy demeanor when he brought up something so intimate like that out of the blue. “Get up, sweetheart. I got us breakfast.”

“Yum.” You mumbled underneath your breath. Dean got to his feet and grabbed the two cups from the table and handed one to you. Mumbling a thank you, you moved over slightly on the bed so Dean could sit next to you. “How’d you sleep last night?”

“Fine, I guess. The floor wasn’t bad as I thought.” Dean said. You nodded your head as you brought the cup to your lips to take a drink when you thought the drink cooled a bit. “Funny thing is though, I don’t remember much you being a talker in your sleep.”

You nearly choked on your drink when you heard him say. However, you managed to swallow down the coffee that was still a little bit too hot to consume. “Really? Huh. Must be a new habit I picked up.” You said, managing to cover your tracks as you pushed yourself up to your feet to get a towel to clean up the coffee you accidentally got on yourself. “Sorry. I didn’t realize I did it.”

“Nah. I thought it was kind of cute. I mean, the stuff that you were saying…” Dean said. He sank the bait as you grabbed a hand towel from the table, working quickly to get the coffee off your body. You nodded your head slightly as you tried to distract yourself with this mundane task. You didn’t realize Dean had pushed himself up to his feet and began slowly walking towards you. “The answer is yes, by the way.”

“Hmm?” You turned around in your spot, only to realize that Dean was standing right next to you. You were a bit taken back to see him so close. And the smirk at the ends of his lips made you realize he knew. He must have heard everything. “Yes to what?”

“I heard you last night, Y/N. About the both of us. And the answer is yes.” Dean said. You grip around the towel tightened as your stomach did the same. “Sounds cheesy as hell, but I’ve been thinking the same thing.”

“You sure?” You hesitantly asked. “I mean, I know with everything that’s going on with Sam and not to mention Lisa…I was too scared to ask.”

“So was I. But I need something good right now. And that’s you. It’s always been you.” Dean said. Your lips stretched into a faint smile as you bit your bottom lip. He was still trying to be that gentleman as he proposed to do things the right way. “We’ll take things slow, if you want. Try and see how that goes.”

The both of you knew that wasn’t going to be the case. Your lips stretched into a smirk as you dropped the towel the the ground, giving him the look that he was all too familiar with. “Check out is at eleven. So that gives us…”

"Plenty of time.” Dean said. He knew exactly where you were going with this, but before he did, he looked at you with a softening expression. “You sure, sweetheart?”

“Dean Winchester,” You whispered his name as you placed your hand on his chest. “Shut your mouth and kiss me.”

The man didn’t have a problem with listening to your command. You shut your eyes as you felt his lips connect with yours. This wasn’t your first time kissing the man since you came back from the cage. But it was the first time in a year and a half where it felt good. It felt like home.


	8. Appointment in Samarra.

Death Toll:

‘05: Dean: 1 Y/N: 1 Sam: 0  
‘06: Dean: 0 Y/N: 0 Sam: 1  
‘07: Dean: 1 Y/N: 1 Sam: 0  
‘08: Dean: 1 Y/N: 1 Sam: 1   
‘09: Dean: 1 Y/N: 4 Sam: 2   
Total: Dean: 4 Y/N: 7 Sam: 4

“What are you doing?”

“Seeing how many times we’ve died.”

Dean abruptly turned his gaze away from the road he’d been driving down for the past few hours as you sat quietly in the passenger side of the Impala from what you said. He’d peeked glances every so often to see how you were doing. You were calmly scribbling something down on a notebook you brought along for the long car ride. Dean had been silently suffering from an anxiety attack over the past handful of days from the outlandish idea you proposed a few hours after you and him got back together. The two of you rekindled your relationship as if the last year and a half didn’t happen. It was you and him again, like how it always should have been.

You came up with the idea when you were laying in his arms, both of you riding a euphoric high from consummating your relationship again. Dean had been dreaming about this moment since he saw you again. And it was everything and better than he imagined. The older Winchester expected the warning of needing to pack up before checkout was going to come tumbling out of your mouth. But instead it was, “I know how to get Sam’s soul back!” The look on your face and how your face lit up made Dean’s first thought be was how cute you looked. And then logic came kicking itself in, wondering the hell you were going to do that.

If you had the will, you’d find a way to go knocking on Death’s door. You rifled through John’s journal for the thousandth time and made a phone call to a dead man’s old pal who helped you figure out a way to temporarily end your life. Your plan was reckless and stupid. But Dean knew the both of you didn’t have many options left here. You would do just about anything to make sure his little brother could be put back to normal again. Even if it meant putting your life on the line one more time. And from the numbers you crunched out of curiosity, death didn’t stick.

You looked out the passenger side window to see you and Dean were getting close. The ends of your lips stretched slightly as you observed the people around you in Chinatown, enjoying their afternoon and going on with their daily life like normal. Dean found himself turning his head to stare at you again when the building was coming up on the right. The ache in his chest grew more noticeable when he wondered if this might be the last chance he was going to see your smiling face.

It seemed you noticed the man’s worrisome mind. You moved your gaze away from the city scenery and to the man sitting in the driver’s seat. When he parked the Impala against the sidewalk next to the building, you reached out and grabbed the man’s hand with your own, the both of you intertwining your fingers together. You gave it a squeeze as you gave him a reassuring smile that everything was going to be okay.

Dean bit the inside of his cheek and let out a sigh. He knew damn well if he had shared a pizza with Death himself last year, it would be him trying to calm you down about the thought of losing you forever. He looked away from your smiling face for a moment and down to your notebook with the tally of deaths you had accumulated over the years: Seven. And not a single had one stuck. Not yet, at least.

You and Dean got out of the car when it was decided that it was time to get this plan started. You pulled out the sheet of paper you scribbled down the doctor’s address he’d told you over the phone. It just said “230 Keefer.” You furrowed your brow slightly as you looked up to the little shop you had parked next to. The only thing you could read on the sign was the number 230. You let out a quiet sigh, thinking this was the place. The both of you headed inside the market and approached a butcher working behind a counter. You grimaced slightly when the man threw down a hunk of meat ready to be carved up. When the man glanced up to see you staring at him, your lips stretched into a friendly smile, trying not to come off as rude.

“Hi,” You greeted the man as you swallowed slightly and looked around the place, trying to find a place you didn’t even think he would know about. “I’m, uh, looking for—”

“Follow all the way back.” The man instructed you and Dean to do. You followed where he was pointing to see that he meant all of the way in the back of the store. As you quickly looked back at him, he told you the direction once more. “All the way back.”

You mumbled a thank you for his help and started on your way to the back of the market, Dean unwillingly following behind you. The both of you were buzzed into another room that lead you to another part of the building where the doctor must have his practice. You began to walk up the staircase that looked filthy and reeky like the rest of this place. Dean made the mistake of resting his palm against the banister, only to quickly pull back when he came across a substance that made him grimace and wipe his skin on his jacket. You made it to the top of the staircase as the last door on the right open.

An old man with white hair and glasses peeked out the open door to see who was coming. You greeted the man with a smile, knowing from the white lab jacket he wore that he must have been the doctor. And it also helped when he spoke your name for clarification.

“You must be Dr. Robert.” You said. Your smile you greeted the man slowly faltered when you took a moment to really take a look at his appearance. His jacket was subtly stained with things you didn’t want to know with and he wiped his hands with a dirty rag that used to be starch white as well. He tucked it inside his pocket. “Uh, this is Dean Winchester. John’s oldest son.”

“I stitched up his daddy more times than I can count, let me tell you.” Dr. Robert was a friendly man for sure. He walked over to the older Winchester and slapped his hands right on the man’s shoulder, chuckling as he reflected on the good days. You managed to stifle a laugh when the doctor roughly cupped Dean’s face with his hands and gave it a nice squeeze. “Oh, it’s good to see you. Of course, that was ages ago. Back when I still had my medical license. Right this way.”

Dr. Robert turned around and waved his index finger for you and Dean to follow him. As you were about to listen to the doctor’s command, Dean quickly fetched you by the wrist and yanked you behind. He gave you a warning look, wondering if you wanted to really do this. You tilted your head to the side and raised your brow. You were here. And there was no going back. Dean let out a sigh and let go of your wrist, allowing you to start walking behind the doctor once more.

“Well, you know, I’m no germ freak, but…” Dean trailed off as he made a subtle remark about the looks of this place. He wanted to say that it was a complete dump, but that seemed a little rude to a man who must have saved his father’s life more times than you had temporarily died.

“Rent’s cheap.” Dr. Robert shrugged. You smiled slightly as you followed behind the man inside his office. Dean lingered in the doorway as he let out a heavy sigh. You heard the door shut behind Dean when he forced himself through the last bit of nervous jitters and joined the both of you. Dr. Robert waved an arm to a young woman that was filling up a syringe with some sort of drug. “Eva, my assistant.”

You waved to the woman as you mumbled a hello, Eva looked at you once before continuing her work. You ignored her rude behavior as you rubbed your palms together when Dr. Robert walked over to the examining table and padded down on it. You nervously swallowed, suddenly realizing you were about to do this. “Hop right up.”

“Now, you’ve done this a lot, right?” Dean stopped you from making a single move when he cautiously asked a few questions to make sure things would go smoothly as he could only pray for. Dr. Robert reassured the man that he’d happily killed people with a lethal overdose and brought them back to life just minutes later. “And your success rate?”

“Oh, excellent. Almost seventy-five percent.” Dr. Robert said. You let out a chuckle as you quickly looked away, trying to somehow undo the knot growing more steadily in your stomach with each passing second. “So should we get the, uh, preliminaries out of the way?”

Death doesn’t come cheap. You nodded your head and pulled out an envelope that had been burning a hole in your back pocket since the car ride here. Dr. Robert happily grabbed it and peeked inside to see more Benjamans than he could count on his fingers. As he stepped aside to look it over, you let out a breath and turned your attention to Dean. You knew this may be the last time you were going to talk to him if something went south. You tried to find the courage to reassure him that everything was going to be all right. Yet you were finding yourself starting to grow cold feet at this plan. It was for the sake of Sam. You needed to do this.

“I love you.” You whispered ever so quietly underneath your breath. The knot in your stomach turned into butterflies for a split second when you got the chance to speak those three words again to Dean. You smiled at the man as you placed your hand on his chest. Letting out a sigh, you pulled something else out from your pocket and handed it over to him. It was two envelopes. One addressed to him, and the other to a name he couldn’t read. “If something goes wrong…”

“What? You leaving me some deep dark secret? I don’t know about?” Dean asked. You scoffed at his thinking as you shrugged off your jacket and tossed it to an empty spot for safekeeping. He looked down at the other letter to read who it was addressed to, half expecting it to be one for his brother or Bobby. When he read the name, Dean’s brow furrowed in confusion when the familiarity of it kicked into his head. “You’re still friends with this Josh kid?”

“Surprisingly, yes. Him and I talk every few months to see how things are going. I kinda owe it to him since I keep showing up to him back from the dead.” You said. You got yourself up to the examining table so Eve could hook you up with a few wires to monitor your heartbeat as Dr. Robert got the cocktail of drugs to make sure you went out nice and easy. When Dean realized things were starting to come together, he stepped forward and quickly gave you a kiss on the lips, mumbling another I love you for what sounded like the thousand time today from someone like Dean. “I love you, t—Okay! Give a girl a warning!”

You felt yourself being pushed away from the older Winchester and forced to lie down on the table without some sort of previous instruction to do so. Eve shoved your shoulder so you were lying flat on your back, making it easier to administer the IV needle into your forearm. You winced in slight pain as your face scrunched up, Eve rolled her eyes from your reaction. "Don’t be a baby.”

“Don’t be a bitch.” You mumbled underneath your breath. Eve didn’t find your remark funny, she placed down a piece of medical tape to make sure the IV was in place and circled around the table to continue. You forced yourself to somehow relax on the table and get yourself mentally prepared for what you were about to embark on.

“Are we ready? Hmm?” Dr. Robert approached the table with a syringe in one hand, ready to get this started. To be honest, you were terrified out of your mind to do this alone. You swallowed slightly and looked over at Dean. Knowing you couldn’t get out of this, you nodded your head. Dr. Robert reached out for the IV and stuck the needle inside, slowly pumping you full of the drug. Dean subconsciously reached out to hold your hand as Eva grabbed the other wrist to monitor your pulse and keep track of the time. “You’ve got three minutes.”

Three minutes to convince Death to snatch Sam’s poor soul from the cage. Yeah. This wasn’t going to be a problem. Your eyes wandered away from Dean and to the pale color that began to travel into the tube and all the way through your veins to disburse through your bloodstream. You wondered how long it was going to hit, but all of a sudden, you felt your heartbeat spike as the monitor began to beep faster. Dean could feel your hand roughly squeeze his before he watched you fall back onto the table, your eyes fluttering closed as the heart monitor fell flat. Nothing but a monotone beat.

“No pulse, no sinus rhythm.” Eva announced.

“She’s dead.” Dr. Robert said. The man stood with a smile of success. Dean, However, couldn’t help himself but feel conflicted at what he saw. Your grip around his hand had become loose as your arm was limp. You laid there on the table, almost appearing like you were sleeping. But you were, in fact, dead as a doornail.

“Talk about an outer body experience.” You said to only yourself. You let out a breath and approached the table with your lifeless body and the trio of people surrounding it. You looked over to Dean, who was staring at your corpse with the most adorable worrisome expression on his face. “I’d try to pull a prank on you for the hell of it, but I don’t have time. Wish me luck.”

You headed down to the the little market with little trouble. Everyone carried on with their day, having no clue what was about to unfold. “This better work.” You muttered underneath your breath. “Uh, messorum evoco qui me tetigit.”

“Y/N?” A feminine voice came from behind, making you realize this really did work. You let out a breath as you turned around to see an old face, Tessa the reaper who had once tried to take you and Dean was now standing in the middle of this little China market with you. “What the hell? I was in the Sudan! What’s with yanking me ov—Wait, why are you dead?”

“Tessa, I need a favor.” You pleaded with her as you jumped straight into why the both of you were meeting like this. The woman rolled her eyes and gave you a rather frustrated look from this trick you were trying to pull on her.

“Oh, you’re kidding.” Tessa mumbled underneath her breath. “You died to ask me—“

“Tell your boss I need to talk to him.” You said. She didn’t waste a split second to say no. “Do you want me to get down on my knees and beg? Please?”

Tessa stared at you with a look of disbelief from how you were acting to her. “Where do you get the nerve?”

“I saved your ass once before.” You reminded her of the good deed you had done a few years back. She thought she owed you nothing. “Desperate times.”

“He calls us.” Tessa explained. “We don’t call him.”

“Make an exception!” You ordered.

“I can’t.” She simply said.

“Can’t or won’t?”

“Both.”

“All right, Tessa. Thank you very much.” You felt your skin break out into tiny goosebumps when you heard his voice again. You looked over your shoulder to see it was Death himself. He sat at the little table overlooking where the butchers quietly worked. They had no clue there was a conversation going on between a horsemen, a reaper and a ghost. “Hello, Y/N. I’m busy. Talk fast.”

“I have something of yours.” You said. You threw out the one thing you had against him. The one little piece of hope that was going to get Sam’s soul back from the cage and make him go back to the man you’d desperately missed.

“You mean my ring? I recall loaning you that temporarily.” Death said. You pretended to keep your cool as you proceeded to make this out to be like a hostage situation. But the horseman didn’t seem to even break his cool. You swallowed from how he swiftly cut you off. “I’m sorry, you assume that I don’t know where you’ve hidden it. Now we’ve established you have hubris but no leverage, what is it you want?”

“Lucifer’s cage. I figure you’re one of the few people that can actually jailbreak it.” You explained what all of this was all about. Death looked at you with nothing more than a blank expression. You felt yourself nearly stumbling out your words from what you were about to ask. But didn’t get there quite yet. “Sam’s soul is stuck in that box.”

Death nodded his head slowly. “I heard.”

“And the boys’ other people is trapped in there, too. Michael rode him in.” You mentioned another name that not even Dean had briefly thought about since this entire hunt for Sam’s soul began. All of you had been thinking about was only getting the younger Winchester back to normal, you forgot there was also another poor bastard trapped.

“Y/N, quit shuffling and deal.” Death said, growing bored from how you were shuffling your feet and pretending to act all timid around him.

“I want you to get ‘em both out.” You said.

“Hmm. Pick one. Sam’s soul or Adam’s.” Death gave you a set of rules you should have expected when you tried to be greedy and sweeten the deal for yourself. You stared at him with a conflicted expression, wondering why he would force you to do just a thing. “As a rule, I don’t bring people back. I might make an exception once, not twice. So…Pick.”

“Sam.” You blurted out the first name that mattered the most to you. The guilt would surely eat you up inside, but you didn’t know Adam. He might have been a sweet kid, but he should have know what he was getting himself into when he said yes. You approached the empty seat next to Death and sat yourself down to continue and talk this deal out with him. “His soul has been in there for a year, and I understand that it’s…damaged.”

“Try flayed to the raw nerve.” Death said, painting a picture that made you swallow. “The things you witnessed don’t even touch what Sam’s soul has been through.”

“Well, is there any way that you could, uh, I don’t know,” You likes to pride yourself on being smart and figuring out solutions to tough problems. But you were baffled at what you were dealing with here. “Hack the hell part off?”

Death let out a sigh from your foolish idea that made this situation sound so much easier than what it really was. Tessa quietly chuckled from the sheer ignorance you were choosing to look at this situation with. Little did you realize your three minutes were up. 

“Four…three…two…” Eva counted off as she watched the hand on the timer pass sixty again, marking the three minute mark. “Now.”

Dr. Robert placed the paddles to the defibulators on the correct spots and pressed down, thinking a little electric shock would send your heart kicking back up again. Dean thought you would jump back up like nothing happened. The three of them waited…but you remained motionless as the heart monitor still carried a flat line signalling no life. 

“Why isn’t she waking up, doc?” Dean asked. He stared at your body as he felt himself starting to panic. “Damn it. I told her not to do this.”

“Relax, son. Second time is always the charm.” Dr. Robert reassured the younger man. “Again.”

Dr. Robert shocked your body with a bolt of electrify that would have made anyone jump back from the dead. But you still laid there, no movement, no spike in your heart. The doctor had seen a lot of things. Someone healthy and young as you should have jumped back in no time. Little did they realize Death wanted you to stay a little longer to chat. 

“Y/N, Y/N, Y/N. What do you think the soul is? Some pie you can slice? The soul can be bludgeoned, tortured, but never broken.” Death got himself up from his seat and began walking around the small market, the tap of his cane echoed through the eerily quiet place. You pushed yourself up to your feet. “Not even byme.”

“Well, there’s got to be something.” You said, trying not to lose hope that all your effort would have amounted to nothing. 

“Maybe. Can’t erase Sam’s hell, but I can…put it behind a wall, if you will.” Death said. You felt the tiniest bit of hope cross your face at what he was suggesting. “In his mind—a dam to hold back the tide. Nasty, those memories. You don’t want to know what they’ll do to him. Believe me.”

“Okay, uh, a wall.” You said, thinking the situation was easy as that. Put a little barrier up and Sammy would be good as new. Like he never was a monster Dean had once contemplated killing just a few months ago. “Sounds good.”

“But it’s not permanent.” Tessa warned you. 

“She’s right. Nothing lasts forever.” Death said, stating a fact you knew all too well in more than one way. “Well, I do, but…building this wall requires specific materials. If you want the best possibility that the wall in Sam’s head will be secure, I need something in return from you.”

“Like what?” You asked.

"A piece of your very own soul.” Death answered your question. Your face scrunched up as you opened your mouth, and before you could ask any sort of questions, he continued explaining himself. “It contradicts what I said before. I know. Your soul is not like any other human on this earth. Because you weren’t created by God, but Lucifer. The snot nosed little brat who is rightfully where he belongs. Strong enough to survive just about anything, but fragile enough to manipulate it to do whatever one would want. I can easily pick off just a sliver.”

So that’s the choices you were left with: Sam without a soul, or Sam with some drywall made out of the material of your supposed fragile little human soul. There was the chance it could still collapse, but you were given reassurance that it just might remain intact if you gave something in return. You tried to summarize the information you were hearing over the past few minutes. It didn’t hit you that the measly one hundred and eighty measly seconds were gone. All you could think about at the moment was trying to find some sort of situation to get Sam back to normal.

“What if you did? Would there be any sort of changes to me?” You cautiously asked, wondering if you might be making more problems if you happened to agree. Death shook his head, saying how you wouldn’t notice the difference. One little piece of your soul wouldn’t break you. You let out a sigh of relief. “Okay. I’m in.”

“I never said I’d do it.” Death said, contridicing your assumption you decided to selfishly jumped to all on your own. 

“Well, then what the hell have we been talking about?” You questioned him with a frustrated tone.

“Your prize. If you win the wager.” Death said. You didn’t realize you looked away from him to conduct a tick you hadn’t outgrown since childhood. As you looked back to the fellow horseman, you suddenly realized he was standing in front of you. “Don ’t roll your eyes,Y/N. It’s impolite. Now, when you fetch my ring, put it on.”

You furrowed your brow, “What?”

“I want you to be me for one day.” Death explained the premise for the little wager between the both of you. You looked at him with a confused expression from what you were hearing.

“Are you serious?” You cautiously asked him.

“No, I’m being incredibly sarcastic.” Death said. You crossed your arms over your chest and stared at the horsemen to show that you weren’t the least bit amused from his dry humor.

What was happening in the real world world was anything but a laughing matter. Dr. Robert was beginning to grow worried when you didn’t respond. Dean swallowed as he tried his hardest not to panic and start yelling at the doctor and his assistant to do something. He simply forced himself to get out of the way and stared at your lifeless body. hoping somehow a miracle would happen and he wouldn’t be leaving here alone. Screw the soul, screw it to hell where it belonged if it meant you weren’t going to come back. Dr. Robert made sure that wasn’t going to happen.

Think of Pulp Fiction and the scene where Uma Thurman’s character overdosed on cocaine. All it took was a stab to the heart with some adrenaline to make her rise from the dead. Instead of plunging the needle into your chest, Dr. Robert instructed Eva to grab the syringe full of a clear liquid from the table next to her. He then placed the needle into the IV and pumped the drug into your lifeless body, trying to reverse the effects of the cardiac arrest he did to you. While the three of them wanted you back very much alive. You just needed a few more minutes.

“Take the ring off before the twenty-four hours are up, and you lose.” Death told you the rules that were crystal clear. But you felt it wasn’t going to be easy as he made it out to be. “No soul for Sam. Clear?”

“Okay. Yes. But…” You agreed to the terms, not happy about what you were roping yourself into. You weren’t a stranger to making deals. It was seeing them through to the bitter end that was the problem here. And you wondered why Death would have given you such a hefty responsibility. “But Why?”

“Simple, Y/N. Because—”

You never got to hear Death’s answer. You felt your heartbeat roughly pound against your ribcage as you suddenly felt a much needed breath of air overcome you. You gasped for air as your eyelids ripped open, your body lifting itself off the table when you felt your entire body surge through, coming back to life again. You frantically looked around when you realized that you were alive. Death was nowhere to be seen.

“Oh, thank Moses.” Dr. Robert said with a grin at the sight of you up and back.

“Ah, come on.” You hissed underneath your breath. You dropped back down to the table and stared up at the ceiling, frustrated from how you were ripped back into reality. “You couldn’t have given me five more freaking seconds?”

“Dear, you were gone for seven minutes.” Dr. Robert said. You looked over at him and gave him a rather surprised expression from what you heard. “Mmhm. Gave us quite a scare. I thought for sure Death didn’t want to give you back.”

Something like that. You let out a sigh and dropped your head back down to the padded cushion of the table. You stared up at the ceiling and contemplated for a moment about what kind of mess you were about to embark on. And how the hell Sam was going to take the news.

\+ + +

“You what?!”

“Sammy, just hear me out.”

“I heard Cas and Crowley when they said it would either kill me or turn me to jello, Y/N! I heard enough!”

The younger Winchester was taking the news as you expected, not very well. You tried to tell the good news as you and the boys occupied Bobby’s library, the older hunter occupying the couch as he watched this sight unfold. You had arrived back from your little trip with Dean not that long ago and jumped straight into telling them what you found. Death would able to retrieve Sam’s soul from the cage. Before you could tell the young man about the possible loophole that would save him, Sam brought up the concerning fact that he might die.

You rolled your eyes and crossed your arms over your chest, showing Sam that you weren’t the least bit intimidated when he raised his voice at you as an attempt to back off from the idea. You knew he didn’t want his soul back. The thing that had been tortured and ruined until there was nothing left. That was an empty shell of a man talking. He didn’t know what he wanted. That’s where you stood in, finally getting to the good news you had been eager to share.

“Death said he can put up a wall.” You explained to the younger Winchester. Sam repeated what you said, he sounded the least bit convinced. “Basically so you wouldn’t remember hell.”

"For good?” Sam questioned you. “Like a cure.”

“No, it’s not a cure….but it’s pretty damn like it. You see, he needs something specific to make sure it would be strong enough.” You admitted the details. “He told me that it might be able to last a lifetime if he used a piece of my soul.“

"Great. That thing—” Sam was about to let something slip, but the glare he was receiving from his brother, who stood behind you, quickly made him swallow it down as he approached his distaste for this plan a better way. “So, playing pretty fast and loose with my life here, don’t you think, Y/N?”

“I’m trying to save your life!” You yelled at him, turning around in your spot as Sam walked across the room to lean against Bobby’s desk.

“Exactly, Y/N! It’s my life!” Sam argued with you, trying to make that point clear. “It’s my life, it’s my soul. And it sure as hell ain’t your head that’s gonna explode when this whole scheme of yours goes sideways!”

“Just curious. I presume Death’s not doing this out of the goodness of his heart. So what’s your half of the deal?” Bobby decided to be the one to ask the real questions here. He pushed himself up from the couch and approached the three of you. You bit your bottom lip and quickly trailed your gaze away, suddenly feeling the need to stay silent. “I’m sorry, Y/N. I didn’t get that.”

“I have to wear the ring for a day.” You said, giving in and telling the rest of the deal to the men.

“Why the hell would he want you to do that?” Dean asked. You looked over at him, knowing this was the first time he was hearing all of this information, despite the million questions you were bombarded with on the drive back.

“Get his rocks off. I don’t know. But I’m doing it.” You stated the plan once and for all. Nobody was going to stop you. Not even a sneaky little bastard who attempted to do something to halt your little plan. “Where do you think you’re going, Sammy?”

“Look, I hear you, all right? I get it.” Sam said. You narrowed your eyes on the younger man, knowing it was your turn not to believe anything that was coming out of his mouth. “I just need a minute to wrap my head around it, all right?”

You nodded your head in agreement, allowing the younger Winchester to find the escape he so desperately wanted. As Sam wandered through the graveyard of abandoned cars, you knew it wasn’t to clear his mind, but to find a little buried treasure only four people knew about. He cautiously approached the spot between two cars and looked down at the gravel road. To his disappointment, somebody had dug up the lock box filled with the four horsemens’ rings.

“Looking for this?” Your voice came from behind, making Sam turn around to see you were walking forward with Death’s ring in your grip. You raised a brow as the younger Winchester tried to cover his tracks by saying that he was just taking a walk. Bobby and Dean followed behind you. None of you were happy with this plan, but it was the only one you had. “Sammy. I’m your best friend. I know you idiots better than you know yourselves. I’m not gonna let you get hurt. I know what I’m doing here.”

“What if you’re wrong?” Sam asked you.

“If it was you or Dean, it’d probably go up in flames. But it’s me.” You reassured the younger Winchester. “I won’t let it go wrong.”

Sam took a moment to think about this one through. He decided that maybe it wouldn’t hurt to see this one through. Perhaps there’d be a chance where you’d fail miserably. "Fine. I’m trusting you here. Barely.” Sam broke down, agreeing with this plan. You looked at the man, wondering if he was sure about this entire plan. “You’re the one with the compass, right? Just don’t mess it up.”

“I won’t. Just…don’t kill each other? Okay?” You asked. You warned both of the Winchesters when you realized you were leaving them for a full twenty-fours without your supervision. This could go either smoothly. Or end up in flames. Both of the brothers promised to be on their best behavior. You, however, turned your attention to the man who had been watching them since they were just kids. Letting out a sigh, you knew Bobby was the only one who could be trusted to make sure they would keep to their promise. “Watch the both of them, okay? It would really be a damper if I had to reap their little lives.”

\+ + +

Death might have been the only thing everyone and everything in between had in common; from the monsters you hunted to the billions of humans living on this very earth. Of course, there was an exception to every rule. You, the boys, Cas and Bobby might have been the lucky few to see life after you kicked the bucket. All of you brought back for different reasons, from selling souls to God having mercy on you, to being touched by an angel. For the rest of the seven billion people, they weren’t so lucky as you to have nine lives to fall back on.

They were born into this world with no set lifespan, only hope that they would live life to the fullest. Some died in tragic events or accidents. Some were doomed to be killed by the hands of someone else or in gruesome acts that made you shudder from the news reports you read over your morning coffee. Perhaps they lost their battle to a life threatening disease. Or, worst of all, someone thought that their life had no meaning and they decided to end it before they could see things get better. Whatever the case, it was Death who snatched up their souls and sent them off to a better place nobody knew existed until the very end.

You stared at the ring nestled in your palm. It felt heavy in your grip from the responsibilities that it carried, along with the consequences if you screwed accidentally screwed up. For the next twenty-four hours you were on your own. You hadn’t been alone in years, not since the boys had their harebrained scheme of getting arrested in order to take down some nasty spirit picking off prison inmates. You did pretty well on your own for those few days, but things were much different back then. Sam had a soul, for one thing. And it wasn’t your responsibility to make sure people passed onto the other side for the sake of getting the younger Winchester’s soul back from the cage.

“Are you sure you’re going to be fine?” You asked the man standing in front of you for what felt to be the thousandth time. You looked up to Dean, your face full of worry as he rolled his eyes from your lack of faith in him. He promised you, yet again, that he wouldn’t do anything to harm his brother. “I’m being serious, Dean. This is the first time I’m really leaving you two here alone.”

“I promise I’m not gonna murder my brother, Y/N. All of this effort you’re putting in would kind of go to waste, don’t you think?“ Dean wondered. You let out a sigh and took your turn to roll your eyes. You looked back down at the ring as you twirled it in your hand, growing hesitant to go along with this plan. Dean cupped your cheeks with his hands so you could look at him straight in the eye. "Bobby and I will hold down the fort. Go out there and reap some souls.”

“You make it sound so freaking easy.” You mumbled underneath your breath. You let out a sigh and agreed with him, thinking you shouldn’t be wasting anymore time. You looked at the man for a moment before you lightly pressed your lips against his for a quick kiss. “Love you.”

“Love you too, sweetheart.” Dean whispered. You swallowed as your lips stretched into a forced smile, showing him your hestiance for this plan once more. “Go ahead. We’ll be fine. I’ll see you in twenty-four hours.”

You nodded your head as you stepped away from him to give yourself some space, unsure of what was going to happen when you put on the ring. Letting out a sigh, you placed out your hand, and ever so slowly, you guided the ring onto your designated finger. When you finally put it on, you weren’t sure exactly what you were expecting to happen. The change of scenery around you was not one of them.

When you put on the ring you had vanished from the scrapyard you were once standing in with Dean as your company. Instead, you were now standing on a sidewalk in the middle of town. You furrowed your brow as you looked around the place. Everyone continued on with their day as a few looked in your direction, but nobody cowered in fear or ran away. They must have not seen you. Nobody really sees Death coming.

“Wow.” You quickly turned around in your spot when you heard Tessa’s voice come from behind you. There stood the reaper with her hands in her pocket as she stared at you with a look of disbelief from what was going on here. You could tell she wasn’t exactly pleased to be working with you for the next twenty-four hours. “Just let anyone be Death these days.”

“You’re all charm today, aren’t you?” You asked the reaper.

“Let’s be clear so that we get through this with a minimum of screw-up.” Tessa said. She walked past you and began heading off to your first destination on the list of many. “I don’t like this, and right now, I’m not crazy about you either.”

“Excuse me,” You defended yourself against the woman as you quickly followed behind her so you wouldn’t fall behind. “This was your boss’s idea, not mine.”

“True. But you and the Winchesters have a long history of throwing a wrench in everything. So let’s just stick the rules, deal?” Tessa asked. You agreed with her on the terms she was about to set. All though it helped with what she wanted to see out of you. “For the next twenty-four hours you kill everyone who’s up.”

“I can do that.” You said. “But it would help to know who to—”

“Kill?” Tessa cut you off, finishing your question before you could do it yourself. “I have a list.”

“Let me see it.” You said. The woman chuckled at your bold request.

“No. You touch them, they die, I reap them. Are we clear.” Tessa asked you. You couldn’t help yourself when you rolled your eyes from how she was treating you. You agreed with the terms that heard several times already. “Remove the ring, you lose. Slack off, you lose. Got it?”

“Yes.” You answered her.

“Don’t mess this up.” Tess warned. “It’s not my job to be your damn babysitter.”

“Look, let’s just get it out of the way before we do this. I don’t want to be here, you don’t want me here. Okay? Good. This was your boss’s big idea. I’m doing this for the sake of my best friend so he can get better.” You told her, wanting to clear the air so there would be no more tension between the both of you. “If it were Dean doing this, maybe you would have your hands full. But I promise I’ll work together with you without a problem.”

Tessa wasn’t sure how sincere you were about your promise. You and the Winchesters never liked sticking to anything, all though you did just about anything for each other. And from the look on your face, you were dead set on doing what you needed for the sake of poor Sam and that soul of his. Tessa nodded her head forward for the both of you to start walking to your first destination. You weren’t sure what was going to be ahead for you on this journey you were about to go alone in this town.

You expected the victims you were about to see old people and a few from an occasional accidents, the normal things that occurred everyday. How wrong you were going to be. Tessa decided to be helpful and gave you a few pointers, making sure you were prepared for routine things she had dealt with during her long time of reaping souls.

“Just so you know, when people die, they might have questions for you.” She said. “Well, you know, not you, but Death.”

“You mean like, ‘How did Betty White outlast me’?” You asked. Tessa looked over at you when you tried to lighten the mood between the both of you with a joke. From the expression on her face, she wasn’t the least bit amused from your tasteless joke. “Yeah. That was a bad one. Sorry.”

“‘What does it all mean?’ is popular.” She said.

“And am I just gonna magically know?” You asked. Tess shook her head no and continued on walking. You scoffed from her lack of help she was willing to give you. “What am I supposed to say? Oh, come on. Give me something to work with here.”

“Suck it up.” Tessa said. “Comes with the gig.”

You rolled your eyes in frustration from how Tessa was treating you, like she wanted to see you fail at this. You didn’t want to be here, she didn’t want to be stuck with you for the next twenty-four hours. But you knew there was a job to be done. And it would help to know what to possibly expect. Tessa started you off with something a bit simple that you could handle. The both of you entered a convenient store to see a troublesome sight of a man pointing a loaded gun at the owner. You were left wondering who was going to be the first victim here. It was your natural instinct to try and do something, Tessa quickly pushed you back from being the hero.

“They can’t hear you, they can’t see you. Let this play out.” Tessa said. You face dropped as you gave her a look, you asked who who the hell you were supposed to be taking. “Wait and see.”

“You want me to shoot the kid? Hurry up!” The robber threatened the owner. Your jaw tightened as the son of a bitch pointed the loaded gun to the kid who had to be no older than eight as he went to his father for protection. “You think I’m kidding? And don’t forget the drawer under the register.”

The owner listened to what he was being told and shoved the money to the man. But he was smart enough to push the money off the counter and to the floor, making the robber lower his gun for a moment, leaving him vulnerable. The owner quickly pulled out a loaded gun of his own, and when the opportunity arise, he shot the robber point blank in the chest. The gunshot was enough to make the robber go falling backwards to the shelf and fall to the floor. You looked at the sight before back to Tessa, she nodded her head to the dying man on the floor.

You let out a breath and walked over to the man that was now choking on his own blood as it began to fill up his lungs, making it impossible to breathe. Tessa waited for you to do as you were instructed to do so. Instead, you stood there, watching this unfold much longer than it was supposed to. “Hello? Ticktock.”

“He’s in agonizing pain, right?” You asked. Tessa nodded her head, knowing from the sight and the noises the robber was making were pretty clear. You decided to have a bit of fun on this one, knowing well enough it was karma getting back at him. “Give me a minute.”

Tessa knew she had no control over this, so, she begrudgingly agreed. You stood over the dying man for a minute or so, watching as the blood began to form in his mouth, making him choke. You would have let this go on for a little while longer, but you remembered there was a small child here as well. You bent down to the ground and reached out to lightly touch the dying man with the hand wearing the ring. Just like that, you put the man out of his misery.

You pushed yourself back up to your feet and looked over your shoulder to see the robber was now standing between you and Tessa. He stared down at his lifeless body, a look of shock, maybe it was horror, at what he saw. It only took him a moment to realize that he was dead. He looked over at you to ask you a question. Not about the meaning of life, or what was waiting for him on the other side. It was a simple: “Why?”

“Mostly because you’re a dick. What goes around comes around. Enjoy the ride down, pal. Trust me when I saw it’s always hot year round in hell.” You said, having a feeling where the man had sealed his fate for spending his afterlife. Tessa gave you a look before ushering the guy off to see the white light. You let out a sigh, a bit of relief coming over you from what you’d just done. “Well, that wasn’t so hard.”

One person crossed off the list, God knows how many more souls you were to be giving the sweet release of death. You and Tessa continued on across town to the park where you saw people enjoying lunch and the rather warm fall afternoon. Tessa guided you to the second victim of the day, an older gentleman who sat on a bench enjoying a slice of pizza while reading the paper. You noticed from his graying hair and the extra pounds he gained through the years that his health probably wasn’t in the best place where it could be.

“Call me crazy, but this smells like a heart attack.” You said, deciding to take a wild guess for the hell of it. Not even a second later after speaking those words, the pain hit the man without a warning. The pizza he’d been eating fell out of his grip as his hands rested against his chest from the sudden pain that came out of nowhere. You winced slightly in guilt when you saw him fall to the ground as he gasped in pain from the sensation that was happening. "Well, I’m getting pretty good at this.”

You walked over to the man and wasted no time in putting him out of his misery. You bent down and touched him, letting the pain stop, and sending him one step closer to paradise. Sometimes life was shorter for some. But it was just how the cycle went. You let out a sigh and looked over to see the man was standing there. And just like the robber before, he had to ask: "Why?”

“I sure don’t place judgement, but don’t you think it was the extra cheese?” You asked, nodding your head to the pizza and soda he was munching on shortly before his death. The man agreed, knowing well enough his years of bad eating habits had finally caught up to him. He had to admit, the pizza was good though. “It’s time to go. I’m sorry.”

Tessa seemed pleased at how quick you were catching on to the rules of things. She took the man by the arm and gave him a warm smile, reassuring him that everything was going to be all right. The man quickly stopped in his tracks, suddenly overcome with the need to ask a question you should have been prepared to answer.

“Wait.” He asked. Your face dropped slightly in sheer panic when you heard his question. It was the one thing you couldn’t say, much as you would have loved to help him. “Will you tell me what it all means?”

“Uh,” You chuckled quietly as your lips stretched into a smile, trying your hardest to figure out something philosophical to say. You suddenly wished that Dean was here to give some witty answer. He was always good at that, or even Sam with his soul. He had always been the best at comforting people at their weakest point. But you were alone on this one. “In the words of a friend; everything is dust in the wind.”

“That’s it?” The man questioned you. “A Kansas song?”

“Sorry. Tessa apologized on your behalf for the crappy answer you gave the poor man. “She’s new.”

You watched as the two walked off to the talk about the better place he would be going before they disappeared from sight. You let out a frustrated sigh as you rubbed your hands with your face, not realizing until right now that, maybe, this wasn’t going to be a walk in the park. You mentally kicked yourself for the stupid answer you gave the poor man. You dropped your hands back down to your side and wondered if things were going well with Bobby and the boys. Because you were about to face a challenge that was about to make you question what you’d do for family.

\+ + +

You weren’t surprised when the next stop on the death express was to the local hospital, a place where the balance of life constantly swung back and forth. You followed Tessa down a hallway to your next name on the list. You were expecting to be greeted with an elderly patient who was hanging on to their last moments of life, someone who was in so much pain they couldn’t keep fighting anymore. You stepped inside the hospital room when Tessa guessed an arm for you to go in first. As you looked inside the room, you suddenly stopped dead in your tracks at what you saw. You let out a forced chuckle, thinking this was some kind of joke.

You looked over to the nurse first when she stood next to the hospital bed, smiling as she jotted down a few notes onto her clipboard. Her name was Jolene from her pastel blue name tag with cute teddy bear at the end. A father and her daughter sat on the bed going through old photographs, talking and reminiscing about the good times they shared. You forced yourself to stare at the girl sitting in the bed, the one who was wearing the pale yellow hospital gown and a breathing tube in her nose. You were in the pediatric ward of the hospital.

You looked away from the heartbreaking sight for a moment and to Tessa, forcing yourself to ask a question you didn’t really want to know the answer to. “The dad or the kid?”

“Kid.” Tessa answered. She seemed immune to the idea of taking a child so young from her life. You gritted your teeth and watched as the father and daughter continued on with their activity.

You shook your head and looked away, suddenly feeling sick to your stomach. “Come on. What is she, thirteen?” Tessa corrected you by saying she was twelve. As if that was going to make things better. It only made the weight on your chest become ever so slightly heavier.

The little girl pointed to a picture in the photo album of a young woman smiling; her back was pressed against the wall as her finger was wrapped around the phone cord as she chatted away. “That was your mom, when she was your age.” Her father said. You could tell from his sudden somber expression and quiet tone that his wife probably wasn’t around anymore.

“This guy have any other family?” You couldn’t help yourself but ask. You didn’t want to know the answer, but Tessa gave it away when she shook her head no. You couldn’t take this anymore. You bolted out of the room and to the hallway. Running a hand through your hair, you peered into the room again, watching the scene that would soon be a memory to a man who would soon lose everything. All thanks to you. “Well, this is awesome.”

“What? You thought it was all gonna be armed robbers and heart attacks?” Tessa asked you. You narrowed your eyes on the woman and pointed out the small fact that the little girl inside was twelve, way too young to die. “With a serious heart condition.”

You gritted your teeth from the position you were putting yourself in. It was just you, yourself and your reason for being in this crummy situation. You tried to buy some more time as you decided to make things a bit more fun by skipping ahead. “Who’s next on the list?” 

“Y/N, “ Tessa warned you what you had signed up for. “You have to take her.”

“Says who?” You questioned her. 

“Says Death.”

“I’m Death.”

Tessa gave you a warning glare to show you she wasn’t the least bit amused from your remark, “You know what I mean.”

“Who tells that poor bastard in there why?” You asked her.

You tried your hardest not let your emotions get the best of you. You huffed out a heavy sigh and forced yourself not to look into the hospital room again. You wanted a second opinion. You wanted Sam here at this very moment, trying to help you figure out what the right thing to do was. But he was the reason why you were killing people and reaping their souls. All to get him back to the way he used to be. What if you did it? What if you went in there and ended that little girl’s life? You wondered what he would say. If it was the natural order of things, or you were a monster for ending a child’s life for the sake of risking his life to get him back to “normal.”

It was an endless circle of your brain trying to figure out what the difference between right and wrong was. The boys got on your nerves at times, and you might not have always seen eye to eye. But you always could count on them to help you figure out what to do.

“I don’t know. It just is.” Tessa said. “It’s destiny.”

“Oh, give me a break. I spent my whole life fighting that crap. There’s no such thing as destiny, just like there was no apocalypse.” You said, shaking your head from her answer. “It was just a bunch of dicks who didn’t want us human slaves asking questions. Or forcing certain people to take roles they really didn’t want. Well, I say the little girl lives.”

“Do you know what’s amazing? You don’t actually buy a word you’re saying.” Tessa said. You scoffed at her accusation, saying that you very much did so. “Really? All the times you messed with life and death, they just worked out for you? It was just a beach party every time, huh?”

“Please. Don’t you dare act like you know a single thing about me, sister. You have no idea what sort of crap I had to fight just to get here. You can look down on me, you can say whatever you want. But let’s get one thing clear. I’m your boss for the day. And I know this much.” You told her flat out how things were going to go under your rule. “I’m Death, she’s twelve—and she’s not dying today." 

You looked away from Tessa when you saw the little girl being wheeled off by Jolene. You could see from the look in the girl’s face that she was scared for the surgery she was about to embark on. “Everything’s gonna be fine, Hillary.” The nurse reassured the little girl. “You’ll see.”

You crossed your arms over your chest and looked back at Tessa, acting as if you won the battle with this one. She let out a sigh and let you take this as your victory. She nodded your head to follow her, letting you see your act of kindness play out. The both of you headed down to the other part of the hospital where Hillary was supposed to be getting surgery. Before she went under the knife, she went under some testing, only to find out that she was a medical miracle people saw on TV specials and people prayed for to happen to them.

“Medically, I can’t explain it.” The surgeon said, seeming baffled for an explanation to Hillary’s father, who looked like he was on the verge of tears from the news he was hearing.

“So, you’re saying,” He tried his hardest to make sure he was hearing the doctor right so there was so sort of miscommunication, no chance to let himself go up on this high hope before he went crashing back down to the reality of things for his little girl. “He heart just…healed?”

“Couple of times in your career, you see something you just gotta call a miracle.” The surgeon said. “All I know is that I won’t have to operate.”

"Thank you. Thank you, doctor.” Hillary’s father said.

You could see the genuine happiness and relief settle into his tired expression. The years of worry that he had carried since his only daughter was born with had paid off, a miracle from the new Death that had a heart of gold for those who deserved to live a little longer.Hillary seemed relieved herself. All thanks to you and not backing down to what destiny wanted. Your lips stretched into a smile as you watched Hillary’s father whisk her daughter off, knowing this was the beginning of a wonderful life for the both of them. For someone else, they wouldn’t be the fortunate one to feel the gut feeling when something bad was going to happen. 

Jolene headed down the hall with her purse and jacket, her focus on dialing her husband’s number. She didn’t realize you and Tessa were standing there. The nurse passed right through the reaper. She stopped slightly in her tracks before she stared the call, a bad feeling settled into her gut for a moment. If only she listened to it. Instead she stopped for a moment to make a quick call, brushing off the warning. 

“Hey, hon. Guess what? I’m leaving.” The nurse said. “No, surgery was cancelled. I’ll see you soon.”

Tessa broke your concentration away from the nurse when she told you there was more work to be done here. You took one more glance at the nurse, smiling slightly as you thought about her being given the chance to have an early night. You followed behind Tessa to find your next victim on the list. As you headed down the hall, you wondered for a moment how the boys and Bobby were doing without you.

\+ + +

While you were reaping the souls of armed robbers and saving lives from being cut too short, the boys and Bobby were enjoying a civilized game of poker with a couple of beers. Dean had been thinking nonstop about you and how you were doing. He lost a hand or two because of it. He didn’t even care that his brother took the Impala without his permission to supposedly clear his head for a few hours. Bobby worried about you, sure, but you were the most level headed out of the four of them. He didn’t have any doubts you would screw things up. Being Death for a day was better than babysitting a soulless man.

“Pair of aces.” Sam said. He laid out his cards for the two men to see. Dean scoffed at what his brother had managed to pull and reached for his shot glass that was filled with whiskey one moment, and disappeared down his throat just a second later.

“You boys want another one?” Bobby asked, lifting up his empty beer bottle as he got up from his chair. Sam nodded his head as he rounded up the cards to shuffle another deal.

“I’m gonna take a leak.” Dean announced. “Be back in a few.”

Sam watched as his brother headed off to the bathroom as Bobby went to the fridge, giving the younger Winchester precious seconds excite this plan. He’d been eyeing that damn wrench all night. Sam ever so quietly pushed himself up to his seat and began walking forward to the tool box that sat right next to the fridge. He thought he was so clever when he snatched it and got ready to swing at Bobby, the true key to making sure his soul would never be in his body again. But he should have known better than to mess with someone like Bobby, a hunter who had saw a few things in his time. And knew how the young man hunted his prey.

Bobby snatched the first thing he could find and quickly acted first, hitting Sam in the skull, knocking him unconscious. The older hunter scoffed when he heard the wrench fall to the ground. “May have been born at night, boy, but it wasn’t last night.” Bobby mumbled. He headed across the room and dropped down the object he used to knock Sam out. If the young man wanted to make things hard for himself so be it. He grabbed some rope and turned around. Only to find the younger Winchester was nowhere in sight. Bobby let out a sigh. “Not good.”

\+ + +

How could things go wrong so quickly? It was a question Bobby and Dean had on their minds. And it would be one you’d be facing in due time. The actions that each of you took would have dire consequences in the future. It could have been having mercy for a child who had been dealt with a crappy hand to live a life that you thought would be better. Or for Dean, simply stepping away for two minutes to go to the bathroom, leaving his little brother to be watched by Bobby during his absence away.

The older Winchester emerged from the bathroom and began heading to the bathroom, thinking about grabbing himself another beer as he wiped his wet hands down his jeans when he noticed didn’t leave something as a towel hanging up to dry his hands. Dean followed down the same route that he went before, expecting to find his brother and Bobby sitting at the table, awkwardly shuffling cards around and throwing in poker chips he used to use as a child. When the man headed into the kitchen, Dean quickly realized the place was empty. The only thing that stayed around was that lingering fear that something was…off.

“Bobby?” Dean called out the older hunter’s name. He slowly approached the chair he’d been sitting on all evening and reached out to his jacket that had been hanging on, discarding it after he watched you disappear from sight. He cautiously looked around at his surroundings as he pulled out his loaded gun, having a sneaky suspicion that Sam was up to no good. “Y/N leaves us alone for one freaking day and we can’t even keep things together.”

Dean grabbed the gun and stood up straight, waiting to hear the tell tale sounds of floorboards squeaking or shuffling feet, but it was a wasted effort. The three men knew this house and all of its weak spots. Sam wouldn’t be given away by a faulty floorboard. Dean let out a breath at the situation unfolding in front of him. A soulless little brother with nothing to lose if he happened to do something drastic for the sake of remaining as he is.

The older Winchester looked over at the clock to see there was several more hours until you were due back. He was confident that you would go through with the you made with Death for the sake of his brother. Dean only hoped that he could go through this evening without making your last stop would be back at the Singer household to reap two souls of his and Bobby’s.

Your time of wearing Death’s ring for a day started out pretty easy if you had to admit. An armed robber you could get behind, and a heart attack victim because of his eating habits felt a little bit like Darwin’s rules. But things quickly turned for the worst when you felt yourself having to face a moral dilemma of what the right thing to do was. For the sake of a child’s health so she wouldn’t suffer anymore and continue on her life of endless doctor visits and hospital stays than her own bedroom. So you could continue on with the deal you made with Death and get Sam back to his old, normal self.

It all sounded so easy for someone whose only job was to end someone’s suffering day in and day out. But your job was different. You were a hunter. You were supposed to save people and kill the bad guy. Hillary was a twelve year old girl who had a heart condition. Whose mother had passed and her only family a father she’d leave behind if you took her. You thought your choice of letting her live a healthy life was the right decision. You thought it was what Dean would have done. You thought it was the right decision. But death wasn’t something you could pick and choose to do. You weren’t God. Your actions would always have consequences.

“Oh, what, you’re really giving me the silent treatment?” You followed behind Tessa, who hadn’t said a single word to you since your refusal to go along with her list of names to take. The both of you had already hit three different rooms in the place. Their deaths were much simpler, an elderly patient who died in her sleep, a man in a medically induced coma with no brain activity and a patient battling a nasty and painful cancer. Each of them were ready to pass on when they realized their time on earth had come to an end. It didn’t make the job any easier, and Tessa wasn’t praising you for doing what you were told. She was still pissed at what you couldn’t do to that child. “Really?”

Tessa still didn’t say a single word to you. She was about to get ready to take a swing to the ER wing, but she stopped dead in her tracks from the sudden feeling that something was off in her route. "Damn it.” She whispered to herself. “I knew it.”

You furrowed your brow slightly in confusion from Tessa’s change in attitude. You wondered why she looked slightly spooked, but you got your answer just seconds later. You quickly looked over your shoulder to see a swinging doors to the ER burst open, revealing two paramedics and a bloodied body on the stretcher they were frantically pulling in. From Tessa’s reaction, you had a feeling this wasn’t good. Not one bit. A handful of nurses rushed forward to aid the bloody and severely injured patient of theirs they were about to lose very soon.

“Fractured spine, internal bleeding.” One of the paramedics informed the nurses as they rushed the patient into a room so they could do their job and not lose another patient tonight. Because you refused to do yours. “Had a heart attack. We need Owens.”

“He just left.” The nurse said. He rushed into the room after the paramedic and passed a fellow woman dressed in scrubs and gave her a command. “Call Owens, tell him to turn around.”

You and Tessa walked forward to the chaotic sight unraveling around you. Nurses and paramedics exchanged vital information as they prepared the patient to shift her from the gurney to the hospital bed to look at her better. You looked over to the bloodied unconscious body to see something behind the bloodied scrubs was a name tag that you’d seen earlier tonight. You could feel your heart drop into your stomach at the familiar little blue teddy bear, now covered in Jolene’s blood. You looked over at Tessa, having a feeling you had seen her before.

“You let the girl live, nurse goes home early gets into a crash she wouldn’t have, and she needs the heart surgeon.” Tessa said. She shifted her gaze away from the sight and back to you. You swallowed slightly from the question she asked you. “Where is he?”

“You knew this would happen, didn’t you?” You asked her, as if this was Tessa’s fault.

“No.” Tessa mumbled. “Just knew you knocked over a domino.”

You gritted your teeth when you were faced with the consequences of your own actions. You thought you were being so brave, so clever at sticking it to a system that you thought could have been easily manipulated to your own personal liking. Just because you had the luxury of having a few extra lives didn’t mean that others had the same privilege. One of the nurses shouted that Jolene was going into cardiac arrest. Despite their best attempts to keep the woman alive, her time was up. Tessa pushed you forward and ordered you to take her.

“What?” You asked. Your face scrunched up slightly as you stood where you were, trying to let someone else live for another day. You were trying to do right from your previous actions. But it was only going to make things worse if you didn’t do what you were told. “She’s not on the list.”

“Everything you do has consequences. Do you want to set off another chain reaction?” Tessa questioned you. You tried your hardest to argue with that this woman had nothing to do with any of this. Tessa didn’t back down. “Well, too bad, Y/N. You put on the ring, now do your damn job.”

You looked back at the woman lying on the hospital bed with the nurses doing everything they could to let her live for another day. If there was a chance she did live, you had a grim feeling that it wouldn’t be sunshine and rainbows. The fractured spine you heard about earlier was enough to raise a few red flags for the possible life adjustments Jolene would have to make. Would she suffer from paralysis? Would she have to quit her job and suffer the rest of her life in pain? So many questions, so many outcomes she’d never have to worry about.

You stepped forward to do what you were told. You outstretched your hand and lightly touched hers, relieving the woman from the pain and suffering you caused her. All for the sake of trying to save someone else. A few moments later you heard the machine monitoring the woman’s heart drop to a flat line noise, the gut wrenching noise nobody wanted. You let out a quiet sigh from what you had done and to Tessa. Your face dropped into an apologetic look when you saw Jolene standing next to the reaper. She looked petrified at what she saw, it only took a moment to figure out that the dead woman lying on the hospital bed was her.

“I’m sorry.” Tessa apologized to the woman. Jolene watched as one of her coworkers that she’d seen just an hour ago drape a sheet over her body as another once announced her death. “You were so young. Yeah. Actually, you were supposed to live for many decades. Have kids, have grand kids.”

Jolene’s eyes glazed over from what she was hearing. She looked at her body for a moment as she wondered a question that made you feel a hell of a lot worse than before. “Then why?”

“Because she screwed up.” Tessa said without an ounce of hesitance.

You could feel two pairs of eyes on you, burning holes into you from your actions. As if you couldn’t feel any worse than you did right now. You forced yourself to stare at Jolene, the poor woman who had suffered the consequences of your actions. It didn’t exactly feel right to say that the patient she was looking after was going to live thanks to her sacrifice. You were beginning to realize that being Death wasn’t all that cracked up to be. Tessa lightly placed her hand on Jolene’s arm and started to whisk her away from this sight, knowing her time on earth was up. Before she could make it too far, you stopped them.

“I’m sorry. I’m truly sorry. ” You whispered to the woman. You stared at her with an apologetic expression and with eyes full of guilt for what you had done. “If I could go back and change what I did…I would. But if it makes you feel any better, you’re going to a better place. I promise.”

Your words weren’t going to bring her back from the dead, it wasn’t going to change what you had done to her by pure accidental choice. But you wanted her to know that there was light at the end of the tunnel. You let out a sigh as you watched the two women disappear from your sight, leaving you alone with the soul crushing guilt that was weighing heavily on your conscious. You looked back over at Jolene’s dead body, now abandoned by the hospital staff for the meantime so they could fill out paperwork and contact her loved ones. It seemed word travels fast about her passing. You quickly looked over your shoulder when you heard a panicked cry come from down the hall.

“Where is she? Where’s my wife? Where is she?”

You watched as a distraught man stumbled down the hall, a look of sheer terror sketched into his expression from the call he’d gotten just a few minutes ago. As if that weight of guilt couldn’t have gotten any heavier, it did. You watched as Jolene’s husband frantically tried to find his wife that he heard from earlier this evening. He didn’t realize that when his wife called him about coming home early that it’d be the last time he’d ever hear from her. The last time he would ever be able to hear his voice. The last time to say I love you.

“Scott, wait.” One of the nurses that worked on Jolene stopped the man before he could stumble inside the room holding his wife’s body. She placed her hands on his chest and gave him an empathetic look, speaking words that never came any easier. “We did everything we could.”

It didn’t make the man feel any better. You watched as Scott stumbled into the room when he saw his wife’s lifeless body. You stepped out of the way for him, even though nobody could see you. You could feel your heart pound louder in your ears as you watched the man break down into sobs when he approached his wife’s bloody and bruised face from the crash. It was the last memory that he was going to have of her. You quickly looked away in sadness when he ever so gently cupped her face as he sobbed, wanting all of this to be some kind of nightmare he wanted to wake up from. You wish you could wake up, too.

You had to learn from the mistakes you made in order to improve yourself and learn what not to do. But this wasn’t practicing your aim with a gun or making sure you pronounced a certain Latin word better. This was the balance life and death. You didn’t want Hillary to die, she was a child that should have so much to look forward to. Jolene had a life of her own to live, too. She could have continued on with the path that was chosen for her. She could have worked at the hospital to save many other lives that would pass through here and have a large family, to grow old with her husband. Instead it was cut short because of your mistakes. Because of your constant need to save people, to do what you thought was right.

“A real vacation?” Hillary asked with widening eyes from happiness.

You swallowed down the lump in your throat as you stood in her hospital room, watching as she sat with her father, discussing plans you knew would never happen. She looked so much healthier from the first time that you had seen her. The smile on her face of seeing something besides these hospital walls made your lips twitch into a smile of your own, but you could feel your eyes glaze over from what you knew had to happen. You didn’t want to hurt the poor child, but there was no exception to the rules. Death didn’t wait for anyone. When your time was up, it was up. And you had to realize that.

“I can take you to this one cafe.” Her father said. “Show you where I met your mom.”

“You saw what happened to the nurse. Go kill that girl, Y/N.” Tessa’s voice came from behind, acting like the reaper on your shoulder. You didn’t listen to her right away. You watched as Hillary got ready for bed as she slipped underneath the covers, mumbling a last I love you to her father. “I tried to tell you what you already know. She’s disrupting the natural order by being alive. You of all people know what that means. Chaos and sadness will follow her for the rest of her life. We tried it your way.”

You were listening to what Tessa had to say. Actions have consequences, the natural order of things. You were wrong, she was right. You glanced out the window that overlooked the streets below when a familiar face caught your eye. Furrowing your brow, you stepped forward, watching as Scott from earlier this evening took the grief of his late wife. He stumbled out of a pub and headed—not to a cab—but his own car. You could feel your heart beat faster at the thought of him doing something stupid. Wasted out of his mind, not knowing what to do. Knowing his better half was gone forever, he thought there would be no more point of living. He probably didn’t realize that he might take a few others, as well.

These were one of those moments where you really didn’t care about the consequences of your actions, you had a feeling this was what Tessa was talking about. And if you didn’t act fast, more lives would be added to the list. Hillary would have to wait for little while longer. Tessa watched as you disappeared from her sight. But you what you were about to do wasn’t all in vain.

Scott couldn’t see you, or hear what you were trying to say to him. But you hoped that your presence would sober him up. You sat in the passenger side of his car and tried to talk some sense into him. He drove with one hand on the wheel and downed a bottle of liquor with the other. You felt uneasy as the car swerved back and forth.

“Come on, Scott. Pull the car over. You’re gonna get yourself killed. I’m sorry, okay? Just do this, you bastard.” You ordered commands at a man who didn’t hear you. You felt the car lurch forward when Scott pressed his foot on the gas.. “What are you doing? Pull the damn car over!” You were now pleading with him, hoping that he would knock some sense into himself and sober up. But there would be no such luck when the radio station that he was listening to broadcasted the hit and run his wife was in. You looked straight ahead at the four way intersection you were bolting forward to. “Come on. Stop the car. Stop the car!”

You tore your gaze away from the man when you realized your pleads weren’t working. Your eyes widened when you looked straight ahead at the road to see there was a bus full of people passing by. If Scott didn’t stop, he would surely crash into them, killing God knows how many. You let out a sharp breath and decided to say, "Screw it.” Screw everything to hell. You weren’t going to let innocent people die because of this.

You decided to break your deal with Death. You struggled to take the ring off, somehow it felt tight on your finger, but it came off. You screamed for Scott to hit the breaks, yet he was more terrified at the sight of a total stranger appearing in his car. You reached out and took control of the wheel, and with just seconds to spare, you managed to turn the speeding car down an empty street where nobody would be killed. When you saw the both of you barreling straight to an empty car, you prepared for the worst as you shielded your eyes from the debris that was about to come your way.

You saw yourself hurtling towards the car until everything went black for a few minutes. You must have lost consciousness when your body hit the airbags that came on, stopping you from having your injures be anything more than just bruises. It was a few moments before you felt yourself coming back around. You blinked a few times before you opened up your eyes to the mess you had gotten yourself in. Every inch of your body hurt, but it looked like nobody was killed. You felt the ring in the palm of your grip. You looked at the damn thing, knowing well enough you lost the bet. Sam was stuck as the soulless man that he was. All because of the stupid choices you made.

Ever so slowly, you managed to open up the passenger side door and step out, ignoring how badly your body hurt with each move that you took. You stumbled out slightly before you stood in the middle of the street with the ring still in your grip and broken glass underneath your shoes. You looked around, wondering where the hell that reaper was.

“Tessa? You there, Tessa? I lost.” You shouted out on the top of your lungs. You looked around to see if she was staring at you with some sort of ‘I told you so’ look. But it was just you standing in the middle of the empty road. “Sam’s screwed. You happy? Least you could do is zap my ass back home! And tell them the great freaking news.” 

You waited a moment or so, wondering what you should do now that you lost. You looked down at the ring you were still holding. Letting out a sigh, you decided that before you left, you might as well clean up the mess you made. You put the ring back. When you did, there was Tessa, leaning against the damaged car with her arms crossed over her chest. You looked at her with a an angered expression, letting it be known that you lost. The game was over for Sam’s soul.

“Sorry about your friend.” Tessa said. You could hear the sincerity in her voice, like she really didn’t want to see you fail. You rolled your eyes and mumbled her to let’s go. She looked at you with a slightly confused expression. "Go where, kY/N? We’re done.”

“No, were not.” You said. The both of you were now standing in the hospital room that was Hillary’s. You let out a quiet sigh of what you had to do. What you should have done in the first place. “There’s some unfinished business I need to take care.”

“It’s over. You took the ring off.” Tessa said. You looked over at the woman to give her a look, as if you didn’t know that already. You wanted to show her that she was right. Nobody was an exception to the rule. “I thought you wanted the girl to skate by.”

“Nobody skates by. Do they?” You asked her. Inhaling a deep breath, you forced yourself to walk forward to Hillary that was peacefully sleeping in bed and her father that was passed out in a hospital chair, right next to her bed. You looked at the pair with a heavy heart. Leaning down, you decided to give some some courtesy and warn her father. “You should say your goodbyes.”

Hillary’s father heard what you had to say. He woke up from his slumber with a bit of a jump. Looking over at his daughter, a smile crept on his lips at the sight of her peacefully asleep. “Man, I must have dozed off.” He mumbled to himself. He watched her for a few seconds, the blissful feeling of happiness still warm in his chest. But all of it would soon be a wishful memory from what he saw next. The monitors Hillary was connected to began to jump all over the place, sending him straight out of the chair and began yelling for help. You watched as the nurses tried to save the little girl that should have died hours ago, but the effort was no use. 

“I’m dead?” Hillary stood in front of you, witnessing her own passing with a frightful tremor in her voice. You swallowed and mumbled an apology to the little girl for what you had to do. “But what about my dad?”

“He’ll be fine.” You reassured her when Hillary turned her head to look at you for answers about the future that you wished you had for her. But you didn’t. “I have no idea.”

“I can’t just leave him. It’s not fair.” Hillary mumbled underneath her breath, the tone of her voice made her sound like a child about to have a temper tantrum. She had every right to be upset. You looked down at her when she asked the question. “Well, then, why?”

“Because,” You slowly bent down to her level to give her an answer. You gave her a sympathetic expression for the response that you knew she didn’t want to hear, or would ever make a lot of sense to her. “There’s sort of a natural order to things we have to follow.”

“Natural order’s stupid.” Hillary said. You smiled slightly at her response.

“Couldn’t agree with you more, kiddo.” You mumbled as you quietly chuckled. You knew she was scared about what was to happen. But you decided to reassure that everything was going to be all right. "Don’t be worried about your dad, okay? He’ll be fine…eventually. You’re going to a better place. I bet you’re gonna be able to meet your mom. I’m sure she’s gonna be so happy to see you. And, when the time comes for your dad, you’ll see him again. Okay?”

You stood back up to your feet and watched as Tessa headed off with Hillary to a better place for her with no more suffering, but without her father. You shook your head and let out a sigh, knowing that it was time to go home yourself and break the bad news.

\+ + +

You carried your bruised feeling body across the scrapyard and to the front door of Bobby’s home, where the boys and the man himself would be. You knew Dean would be eager to hear all the good work you had done to save his little brother. Bobby would probably be relieved to know that Sam would be back to normal. You made it far as the front porch steps before you gave up. You let out a defeated sigh as you dropped yourself to the steps for a moment to try and figure out what you were going to say. 

Perhaps they would understand. Maybe they would have done the same thing if one of them were in your position. Or would have Bobby and Dean understood that was the way life goes? People die everyday. Infants to the elderly. At least Hillary went peacefully in her sleep. And you had screwed the only possible chance of getting Sam’s soul from the cage. You stared down at the ring for a moment before you let out another frustrated sigh. Pushing yourself up to your feet, you faced the front door like a beast ready to be tamed. Here you went. 

You gripped the door handle tightly and swung it open, announcing your arrival as you stepped inside. As you began walking into the house, you expected to be greeted the sight of Dean hanging around in the kitchen and Sam in the library, passing the time with reading a book of lore. And Bobby making sure the boys were on their best behavior. The library was empty, and the kitchen looked like they were in it from the playing cards and empty beer bottles that sat on the table. You looked around the house and began calling out their names…but it was silence.

You let out a sigh as you walked back to the front of the house, as you did, your shoes stepped on some wood, causing you to look down to see there was bits and pieces of it lying around the floor. You slowly turned your gaze to the closet door where you once hid in with Bobby when the entire town of Sioux Falls experienced a remake of “Night of the Living Dead.” What was different about it was that it was in complete shambles. You stepped inside the closet and shut the door. Only to see that someone must have taken an ax and smashed it down.

“Here’s Johnny. But not Sammy, Dean or Bobby.” You mumbled underneath your breath. You looked around the small closet to see if you could find some sort of clue. While you didn’t, you noticed a lever that you hadn’t seen before. Out of curiosity, you decided to pull it and see what happened. You quickly looked over to the kitchen floor to see that it dropped, leading to a clear shot to the basement. You peered below to see the new contraption Bobby must have built. “Huh. Smart move, old man. Would be nice to know where the hell you guys are!”

Your voice traveled down to the level of the basement that you thought nobody would be in. There would be no reason why. You reached out a hand to pull the lever again so the floor would go back to normal. As you were about to, the night seemed to have took another turn. A voice called from below "Y/N? Y/N, is that you?“

Your brow furrowed together as you took a moment to realize that it was Dean. What the hell was he doing in the basement? You pulled the lever back and headed for the basement, swinging open the door to investigate where he was. You walked to the panic room, thinking that was where the noises were coming from. As you did so, your hand gripped around the handle, only to touch something sticky and wet. You pulled back to see your palm was covered in the frightening sight of blood. You didn’t waste a second in opening up the locked panic room door to see that Dean was inside.

“What the hell?” You muttered underneath your breath. There was Dean like you had suspected, handcuffed to one of the iron bars. You quickly rushed over to him when you noticed that his head was bloody like someone knocked him out. “Hey. You okay? What happened?”

"It’s Sam. Son a bitch caught me off guard.” Dean said. He spoke between gritted teeth from what his brother had done to him. You looked around the place, wondering what you could use to pick the man free. “I think he’s up to something. Have you seen Bobby?”

“No. I haven’t, actually.” You mumbled. You patted around your pockets and luckily felt your lock pick that you so happened to be hiding in your jacket pocket. Normally you didn’t carry such things unless you were hunts, Luckily you must have forgotten to empty your pockets. You tossed the contents to Dean, who caught it with his free hand. “I’ll be back, I swear! I need to find your brother so I can give him a good freaking ass kicking.”

You walked fast as you could out of the basement and back to the first level of the house. You wondered where the hell Sam and Bobby could be. You had an endless amount of land to cover and God knows how much time until Sam did something stupid. Letting out a frustrated sigh, you grabbed an old looking baseball bat that happened to be lying around and headed back out to the scrapyard to start your search.

Why would Sam lock up his brother and not kill him? Maybe the man was doing something stupid, something that only he would think of to make sure that he would never get that soul back in his body. You remembered swinging by the library to see a book cracked open to some heavy duty lore about something. You wondered if Sam was up to no good. You thought about it for a moment before you had a feeling you knew where he was. You just hoped you weren’t too late to stop Sam. It would be a shame to end the night on another unsuccessful note.

You quickly headed to the shed where you’d been to once or twice, nothing really was in there, but just space. You tightened your grip around the baseball bat as you quietly stepped inside, stumbling a sight that wasn’t good at all. You had found Bobby, who he was tied up at the moment. Sam hovering over him with a knife lingering in the air, as if he was getting ready to stab him. Before the man could do such a thing, you snuck up from behind, swinging the baseball bat against the back of Sam’s knee, making him go tumbling to the ground. 

“Sam, what did I tell you about sacrificing people while I’m gone?” You asked the younger Winchester in a motherly tone. As if he was a child caught doing something he wasn’t supposed to. Before Sam could be stupid and reach for the knife, you knocked him unconscious after hitting him in the head with the bat. You huffed out a breath as you looked over at Bobby, who seemed nothing but relieved to see you. “I leave you boys alone for one day. One freaking day.”

\+ + +

You sat on the third to last basement steps after Bobby and Dean dragged the unconscious Sam into the panic room and handcuffed him to the cot, knowing all of you couldn’t take the chance of letting him loose. It was the same set up you had to do when the younger Winchester was under the detox for demon blood. Instead this time it wasn’t for his protection, but for all of yours. You stared at the ring you had been wearing for the past twenty or so hours. Until you removed it not to long ago in order to fix a problem that you caused.

It should have been so easy to do what you were told. Hillary had been sick since she was first born. She needed to be put to rest in order for her suffering to end. And it wasn’t like she was going to be facing an afterlife of misery and pain. People like her got a happily ever after that would last more than just a lifetime. Who knew. Perhaps she was in Heaven right now with her mother in that little cafe, being told stories about how her parents met. The thought made a fraction of a smile cross your lips. It didn’t last long for more than a few seconds.

In the past few years since you came back from Hell with Dean, you conditioned yourself to fight harder than you ever had before. Fight the natural order, fight who the universe wanted you to be. Fight to save the world and try to keep some of that free will you thought you had. And you did. There was rules and structure for a reason. Tessa was right about how everything you and the boys did, from the dying and selling souls, was exactly what the universe wanted. All of you had nine lives, but it didn’t mean that others were that lucky. Sometimes you had to follow the rules in order to save them as well.

Nobody came out a winner tonight. You failed at the one chance of getting Sam’s soul back from the cage. Dean and Bobby were foolish to think that Sam would behaved himself. Your fingers wrapped around the ring as you clenched your fist. For the first time you felt helpless. There was really no other options at your disposal anymore. Crowley was dead. Cas was up in Heaven, fighting what sounded like a losing battle. And you couldn’t keep a damn ring on your finger. You could feel your breathing become more shallower when you wondered if you would be stick with that soulless man that you once called your best friend.

“I can’t keep doing this, Bobby.” Dean’s voice traveled from the other side of the basement. He peered into the panic room to observe his little brother who was chained up like an animal. Sam hadn’t woken up yet from the blow to the head he took when you whacked him out cold with the baseball bat. If you hadn’t acted when you did or showed up, Bobby might have been dead. He didn’t like how the night was coming along. You wondered if he was upset at what you couldn’t do. “What, am I gonna tie him up every time he tries to kill someone? That’s not gonna hold him. He’s–”

“Capable of anything.” Bobby mumbled, knowing exactly what the older Winchester was trying to say. The both of them had witnessed a side to Sam they never saw before. You were sure they hoped they never would have to ever again. No thanks to you, Soulless Sam was staying around for a lot longer than any of you wanted.

Dean fell silent for a few seconds. You heard his footsteps echo off the walls as he paced around back and forth ever so slowly. Your gaze fell to the ground when you heard the question the older Winchester asked himself. “What am I supposed to do here?” Because at the end of the day, no matter how much you tried to help carry the heavy burden that Dean carried on his shoulders since he was four years old, it was his little brother. It was his only remaining blood family that he could try and protect. And, once again, you screwed it all to hell.

You pushed yourself to your feet and began walking up the basement steps, suddenly feeling a parchment in your throat that only a beer could quench. You opened up the door and headed back to the house. Bobby and Dean needed some time to reflect on tonight’s events, your lingering presence wasn’t helping. You let out a sigh and began walking to the kitchen, happy to think that you were alone. As you turned your direction to walk into the kitchen,you stopped straight in your tracks, quickly noticing a familiar face you didn’t think would be back so soon.

“Y/N.” Death sat at Bobby’s table with a friendly smile. You looked at him with a funny sort of expression when you noticed that he was eating a late dinner, the kind that made your empty stomach turn over with a wave of nausea. He stretched out a hand for you to join him. You went far as to the table, you stood next to the chair he gestured to. “Brought you one. From a little stand in Los Angeles known for their bacon dogs.”

“No thanks. I’m trying out this new thing where I don’t eat things that have to be killed.” You said. The only thing that didn’t change about you was your snarky responses. You stared at Death for a moment until you listened to his command. You pulled out the chair and sat next to him. You sniffed the food that he was happily enjoying. While it smelled rather good, you weren't’ the least bit intimidated by him. “Wow, what’s with you and cheap food?”

“I could ask you the same thing. Thought I’d have a treat before I put the ring back on.” Death said. You almost forgot that you were holding onto the precious thing. You opened your palm to stare at the damn that had only caused you misery. And that was only for one day. You couldn’t imagine being chained to a job like that for century after century. “Sometimes you just want the thing off. But you know that.”

You looked at the man from the corner of your eye from the way he was speaking. You ignored his question about not being hungry. You placed the ring on the table for Death to claim as his own once more. The both of you knew that he was better at it than you ever could. “Look, I think you know that I flunked. So there.” You said, admitting to your mistakes before he could try and rub your face into it. “Oh, and by the way, I sucked at being you. I screwed up the whole natural order thing, but I’m pretty sure you knew about that, too.’’

“So if you could go back, would you simply kill the little girl?” Death asked the most important question of all. “No fuss, no stomping your feet?”

“Knowing what I know now? Yeah.” You admitted, nodding your head slowly.

“I’m surprised to hear that. Surprised and glad.“ Death said. You huffed out a quiet breath and shook your head from your previous actions. It was just one life that you could have saved. You still had to kill the little girl in order to do your job. "I think it’s a little more than what you’re leading on. Today you got a hard look behind the curtain. Wrecking the natural order is not quite such fun when you have to mop of the mess. Is it? This is hard for you, Y/N. You throw your life away because you’ve come to assume that it’ll bounce back in your lap. The human soul is not a rubber ball. It’s vulnerable, impermanent, but stronger than you know, and more valuable than you can imagine.”

Death’s words hit you in a spot inside of you that not even you realized about yourself. You sold your soul, sacrifice yourself for the greater good because you thought it was the right thing to do. In reality, it was the part of the universe’s list of things to accomplish. And you checked off every box. When you were left bleeding in that cemetery with Dean back when Sam threw himself into the cage, you had selfishly thought that you would be fine. That somehow you could become human and live your life. You might have died, but you came back. Because the universe wanted one more thing out of you. One more deed before you finally kicked the bucket.

“Do you want to know what I think? I think you knew that I wouldn’t last a day.” You said. Death tried to pretend and act like he had no idea what you were talking about. But the dumb act didn’t suit him at all. "At least have the guts to admit that it was rigged from the jump. You knew I wouldn’t harm a head on that little girl. All because you didn’t want to fetch Sam’s soul.”

“Most people speak to me with more respect.” Death said. It seemed he found your tone of voice a bit out of the ordinary, you scoffed at his passive threat.

“If you want respect, old you old bag of bones, you got to earn it.” You leaned over the table and stared at him directly in the eye. You showed him that you weren’t scared of him. You had died so many different times in the past six years, all of it was a blur. “We’re done here. Aren’t we?”

“It’s been lovely. Nice to see that you’re adjusting well without that little piece of your soul. I’ve got to cut our little banter shorter than I hoped.” Death said. You could feel the arrogant smirk on your lips began to slowly fade at what you heard. “I have to go to hell to get your friend’s soul.”

You had a feeling the attitude you gave him wasn’t what changed his mind. You failed at the deal he made with you. But for some reason, he was being the kind one here and throwing you a bone of mercy. “Why would you do that for me?”

“I wouldn’t do it for you. You and your little friends keep coming back. You’re an affront to the balance of the universe and you cause disruption on a global scale.” Death said. He walked forward to you until he was now standing next to you, hovering over your body. You swallowed as you apologized for whatever sort of problems you may have caused. “But you and those Winchesters have use. Especially you, Y/N. Right now, you’re digging at something. The intrepid detective. I want you to keep digging, Y/N.”

“Okay…” You raised your brow from what you were hearing, and having no clue what any of it meant. “So are you just gonna be cryptic, or–”

“It’s about the souls.” Death explained. You looked at him with an even more confused expression, still not having the slightest idea what he meant by that. A wiped memory could do that to a human. He reached for his ring and looked at you, knowing that with that little piece of your missing soul, the lost time would come back to haunt you. “You’ll understand when you need to.”

“Wait.” You stopped the man from slipping the ring back on his finger. You wanted to know from all the effort you were putting into this, it was going to at least amount to something. “With Sam, and my little contribution…is this thing really gonna work?”

“Call it seventy-five percent.” Death answered you.

You watched as Death slipped his ring back onto his finger, all before disappearing from your sight again. What you heard was sort of…uplifting. Death put more hope into this plan that you had originally thought. You subconsciously placed a hand against your chest, wondering for a moment what the consequences were going to be for you in order for Sam to get better. Whatever it was, you would face them eventually. Right now, you knew what was about to unfold was going to be painful than anything you’d have to witness. It might even open a few old wounds that you tried to hide since coming back from the cage. But all of it would be worth it if Sam was okay.

You pushed yourself up to your feet and bolted for the basement door again. From the speed that you were going, you were surprised that you didn’t go tumbling down the stairs. Your stomping caused Dean and Bobby to break away from their somber mood of lingering around the basement, trying to figure out what to do. For the first time in a long time, you might have just saved the day.

“Guys?” You called out for their attention, jumping down the last three steps and landing feet first on the concrete. You quickly turned the corner when you heard Sam’s panicked voice echo from the panic room. Bobby looked at you with a worried expression, wondering what was going on. “Open the door. Now!”

Bobby did as he was told. The man headed over to the panic room and opened up the heavy iron door. You pushed between the two men to see that Sam was staring at Death himself, who was carrying something the man tried so hard to fight. You could feel your chest tighten in guilt as Death ignored the young man’s pleads and took a seat down on the cot. He placed down the briefcase that he was carrying after his journey to the cage and opened it up, a burst of light illuminated from the special content inside.

“Now, Sam. I’m gonna put a barrier inside your mind. It might feel a little itchy. Do me a favor. Don’t scratch at the wall.” Death warned the younger Winchester. “Because, trust me, you’re not gonna like what happens.”

Sam tried his hardest to try and fight his way out of this one, but he was cornered, with nowhere to go but down. You could feel yourself overcome with fear at the sight of him. You’d only seen the man like this once, down in the cage, where the both of you were stricken with the worst kind of torture that even shook you to this very day. You were only down there for a hot second. Sam’s soul had been down there for over a year and a half. You could feel your bottom lip starting to quiver at the sight of him.

You opened your mouth to tell Death to stop, the memories of the cage and reality seemed to be clashing together. But you reminded yourself that this was reality. This was what you had to do. Dean must have sensed the emotions you were being put through. You found yourself cowering away in fear as Sam’s soul finally began to enter his body again after being parted away. You tried your hardest to block out the noises of Sam’s cries of pain as you buried your face in Dean’s chest.

You shut your eyes in an attempt to drift off to a better place. Instead you found yourself back in that wretched cage, with Lucifer himself staring at you. While he wasn’t alone, it wasn’t Michael by his side, it was a familiar face that you saw every day when you looked in the mirror. She blinked, revealing black eyes and a wicked smile to match her rotten soul.


	9. Like a Virgin.

Nervousness was an emotion you were very familiar with, it was an old friend from the kind of life you lead. You had the frequent anxiety that kept you up for nights and panic attacks that left you a crippling mess when they came on the rare occasions. You hit rock bottom of emotional turmoil when you were in that graveyard in Lawrence. You were face to face with the reality of seeing everyone you loved being picked off, one by one by the Devil himself as he wore your best friend like a cheap suit. You thought at that moment nothing could ever touch that weakness, that raw feeling of fear that you never felt before. Right now you were getting pretty damn close to it.

Your heart felt like it was going to beat itself out of your chest as you found yourself biting your bottom lip, a bad habit you never grew out since childhood. Sam had been out cold for the past ten days. There was no sign of movement, not even a slight finger twitch. He wasn’t dead. He was breathing on his own and he had a heartbeat. You spent hours in the panic room where he slept, watching him…waiting for something to happen. On the tenth day of his deep slumber, you decided that enough was enough. You needed a second opinion. You pulled Cas back down on earth after you prayed to him—more like demanded to get his feathery ass down here.

You and Dean stood in the basement with the door to the panic room closed. Cas had been in there for the past three and a half minutes. He didn’t say much when he arrived. He asked where Sam was being kept and requested for a few minutes alone with him. You directed the angel to the panic room, where he then stepped inside and shut the door.

Each second felt like pure torture while Cas was gone, waiting until the moment where he would have to break the bad news. You knew it was a bad idea from the start to put Sam’s dark and fragile soul back in his body. You thought the precautions that you took would be good enough. Now you were wondering if you made a mistake for doing what you did.

You nearly jumped out of your skin and off the staircase you had been leaning against when you heard the panic room door squeak open. You quickly turned your head to see that Cas had examined Sam throughly as he possibly could as he rolled down his sleeve. You peeked inside the room to see that Sam was still asleep and showed no signs of waking up. You could feel all the hope that you had been mentally preparing yourself with vanish, making the tightness in your chest become more prominent as your anxiety began to fully take over again. You let out a quiet sigh and turned your gaze to the back of Cas. You didn’t hesitate a second when you pressured an answer from the angel.

“His soul is in place.” Cas said. Your brow furrowed slightly from the answer that felt more bleak than the tone of voice that the angel had spoke it in. You looked over at Dean, the both of you weren’t sure of what to make of the information.

“Well,” You threw your hands up in the air from the lack of information that you were being given by Cas. You dropped your hands back down to your side, your hands hitting against your thighs before resting them on your hips. “Is he ever gonna wake up?”

“I’m not a human doctor, Y/N.” The angel responded.

You rolled your eyes from the way Cas was acting. Dean could sense your frustration at the cold shoulder the angel was giving the both of you. “Could you take a guess, at least?”

“Okay.” Cas said. He turned around to face the both of you to give the bitter truth neither one of you wanted to accept from the stupid things you had done during his absence. “Probably not.”

“Oh, well, don’t sugarcoat it.” You muttered. You briefly took your gaze off the angel for a moment to look over at Sam to see how he was doing. When you turned back to Cas, you rolled your eyes once again when he opened his mouth. “Don’t give me the whole ‘I told you not to do it’ speech. What else were we supposed to do? Sam without a soul is too dangerous. He nearly killed Bobby, for God’s sake!”

"You think what you did for Sam was the right thing? If you knew what was best for him, you should have left him alone.” Cas warned you. You turned your focus to the angel as he began walking forward to you and Dean. You narrowed your eyes on the angel when he tried to pull of this higher authority, like he knew what was right for all of you. “Let me tell you what his soul felt like when I touched it. Like it had been skinned alive, Y/N. If you wanted to kill Sam, you should have done it outright.”

“Go to hell, Cas.” You hissed at the angel. You stared at Cas with a look of disbelief at what you were hearing come out of his mouth. You knew Cas wanted the best for Sam like the rest of you. But he was now just being downright disrespectful. You had the urge to punch him in the face from the way he was speaking to you. But you knew it hurt you more than him. You began walking away from him and to the panic room, deciding you to be the next best thing. "Oh, wait…you couldn’t. And much as I enjoy your nagging, I think it’s time for you to go.”

You looked over your shoulder to see that Cas was gone in the matter of seconds, making you unsure if he heard anything you said. Dean let out a sigh, appearing more defeated than he had before the angel came around to help give his little brother a better diagnosis. Cas has been adamant on telling the both of you not to do what you did. From putting the wretched soul back into Sam’s body, all the way to the destruction of your own. Dean knew he was gonna get ripped a new one from Cas when he heard about everything, and not just about putting Sam’s soul back into his body.

A week and a half passed and there seemed to be no sign of progress for his little brother to wake up. The only good thing coming Dean’s way was that you seemed normal. No black eyes popping out of nowhere or retelling of the horrors you did when you worked under Crowley. Not yet, at least.

Dean watched as you headed back into the panic room and take your seat right across from the bed Sam slept quietly on. You hadn’t left his side since he got his soul back. Most of the time you either read or stared off into space. Sometimes when Dean came down here to check up on things, he would catch you staring at Sam with a look of fear, the same kind of expression you had when your father passed away.

He remembered being four years old and hearing you violently sobbing and babbling out, “Daddy wake up…Daddy wake up” as his parents tried to console a toddler who saw her father dead from an apparent heart attack. Days later at the funeral there were murmurings of how strange the circumstance. So young, what a tragedy. A few months later they were saying the same things about his mother—except with an empty casket.

You heard Dean’s footsteps ascending up the basement staircase leaving you alone once again with his little brother, who had shown no progress. You weren’t giving up hope just yet from what Cas said. You opened up the book you had been mindlessly staring at over the past week since you started this waiting game. You didn’t take a single word of the plot or what the characters were dealing with. You were too consumed with your own. The fact that you hadn’t slept more than two hours over the past ten days wasn’t helping either. You let out a sigh and decided to try and make some progress in the book. Flipping to the very first page, you settled your attention onto the words, hoping you would make some progress.

A half an hour passed since Dean headed upstairs to try and occupy his busy mind. He ended up sitting around with Bobby and taking a much needed drink, talking up a possible case to keep the three of you from going insane. You remained as you were for about ten minutes. As you got yourself into the first few pages, you slowly found yourself losing focus when the sleep you had been been depriving yourself of slowly started to come creeping back with a vengeance. You feel your eyelids slowly growing heavy before you decided to rest the book on your chest and indulge in a much needed five minute nap.

Little did you realize it was much longer. You must have fallen asleep because you didn’t hear the sounds of the rusty old cot squeak and bounce from the weight being shifted on it for ten days. Someone hovered over as they stared down at you. Reaching out an arm, you felt a hand touch your shoulder and lightly push it. You woke up a few moments later with a bit of a fright. You placed one hand on the book and rubbed your eyes with the other.

"I’m up, Dean. I’m up.” You mumbled to whoever woke you from your slumber. You thought it was the oldest Winchester checking up on how things were going. You let out a sigh and opened your eyes. As you looked up, you expected to be greeted with the sight of Dean giving you a concerned look. “I—” It was a Winchester standing in front of you. But it wasn’t one that you thought would be up and at it so quickly. You could feel your mouth parting open slightly as you felt your heart suddenly hit your ribcage. Part excitement, part fear.

You weren’t sure who was standing in front of you. The last time you’d seen Sam Winchester was when he was moments from killing Bobby. He had spent over a year fooling all of you into thinking that he was all right. You slowly pushed yourself up to your feet and stared at him. You examined his facial expression to see that it looked like him. He seemed…happy. Full of genuine emotion. Your lips stretched into a smile when you realized it worked. It really worked.

You whispered out the younger Winchester’s name that he once hated, a breath falling out not a second later from what he did next. You suddenly felt a couple hundred pounds being thrown against you as you felt a pair of arms wrap around your body. It took you a second to realize that Sam was hugging you. You didn’t care how tight his embrace was. You quickly wrapped your hands around his neck and buried your face into his neck. He found himself not wanting to let go, overcome from the realization that you were all right. But when you felt your lungs beginning to ache, you reminded him the need to breathe.

Sam mumbling apologies left and right made you suddenly become hit with an overwhelming urge to cry. You let out a chuckle from how he was acting, suddenly you were reminded about how easy he felt guilt—how he showed his emotions. You stepped away as your hands lingered on his forearm, as if needing to be reminded that this wasn’t a dream. Sam had his soul, and he was all right. The both of you stared at one another for a moment or two, wondering if you were okay yourself. The last time that Sam thought he saw you was back in the cemetery when you stabbed yourself in an attempt to stop Lucifer. Here you stood with a smile on your lips that was starting to make your cheeks hurt. but you didn’t care. You hadn’t felt this happy in a long time.

“You’re….you’re okay?” Sam whispered to you, all though it came out more like a question as he inspected any sort of imperfection that would make him realize that this wasn’t happening. Instead you nodded your head as your smile grew even wider from how he seemed lost for words, overwhelmed with happiness at what he was seeing. “You’re okay. Really…okay.”

“Even better.” You whispered, giving the man a hint at the truth that felt so good to say. The both of you broke out into matching smiles from the long and treacherous journey that lead you to here. “I’m human, Sasquatch.”

Before you could stop him, Sam became overwhelmed with joy, so much so, you felt yourself being embraced into another bear hug and the ground underneath your feet disappeared. It took you a moment to realize that Sam had used his height against you and lifted you up to his height. You couldn’t help yourself but let out a laugh from how he was reacting. You managed to get out another name from all the excitement that was happening all at once.

Sam didn’t waste a second in nodding his head when he dropped you back down to the ground and nodded his head, seeming overwhelmed at the thought of seeing his brother once again. The both of you quickly headed upstairs and headed to where you suspected Dean to be. You slowly walked into the library to see Bobby and Dean were sitting around the table, enjoying a glass of whiskey and discussing a possible case. The both of them stopped talking when Bobby saw you approaching.

Dean looked over his shoulder to see that you were slowly walking into the room. He wondered if something was wrong from the way your eyes were glazed over. Yet it wasn’t the case when he saw a shadow lingering behind you. It was of a face that he wasn’t sure how to handle. Dean pushed himself up to his feet and whispered his baby brother’s name. As he asked if the man was all right, Dean got his answer when Sam did something he hadn’t done in over a year and a half since coming out of the cage.

Sam embraced the man into a hug, the genuine—"I’m so happy to see you” kind that made Dean feel a little uneasy. He wasn’t sure what to make of it. He spent months wondering what the hell was wrong with the man, and even a few trying to figuring out ways to kill him. But here Sam was, as if nothing happened. Ever so slowly, as the shock began to wear off, Dean embraced his little brother into the hug. Hoping, praying that Sam was all right. That he was back to the way Sam Winchester should be.

You were all smiles as you crossed your arms over your chest, but the reunion wasn’t all that great for some. Dean found himself still in a bit of uneasy shock, Bobby felt himself cautious when Sam moved his gaze to the man. Sam quickly embraced Bobby into a tug hug at the sight of him as if nothing happened. Bobby, however, looked ever so slightly worrisome from who he was seeing. Sam pulled away a moment later when the realization that Bobby was standing on his own two feet made him remember a gritty detail of that day before he jumped.

“Wait. I saw—I felt Lucifer snap your neck.” Sam said. You and Dean seemed a bit confused at what Sam was mentioning, seeming to have forgotten about what happened. Bobby mentioned that Cas brought him back to life, Sam’s eyes widened at the familiar name. “Cas is alive?”

“Yeah, Cas is fine.” Dean reassured the man. He approached his little brother and gave him a concerned look from how he was acting. “Sam, are you okay?”

Sam paused for a moment as he thought about the answer. You felt yourself a bit uneasy, thinking he was either still soulless somehow, or about to drop dead. Instead a small smile spread across his lips from the answer he gave. “Actually, um, I’m starving.”

In the matter of minutes Sam was sitting at the table in the kitchen where not even two weeks ago an altercation broke out, leading the almost death of Bobby and Dean. The younger Winchester scarfed down the sandwich you made for him with the things Bobby had lying around. He happily accepted whatever you threw together as washed it down with a beer. You sat at the table with a drink of your own, Dean next to you as Bobby was leaning against the counter. As if he was trying to keep his distance from the young man. You didn’t notice the strange behavior Bobby was giving off, too consumed with joy at the sight of Sam being…Sam.

“So, Sammy…” You began the conversation to a topic you were a bit dreadful to wonder. He looked over at you and raised his brow slightly. “What’s the last thing you remember?”

Sam thought to himself for a moment about what he could remember from the time he was gone. You stared at him for the longest time as your grip around the beer bottle you held became so tight you swore it was going to break. You waited to see any sort of pain or guilt cross his face. His answer was anything what you were expecting. 

“The field. And then I fell.” Sam said. You furrowed your brow as you looked over at Dean, the both of you were rather perplexed at the amnesia the younger Winchester was having. It seemed the wall Death put in his head blocked out everything. “I woke up in the panic room, Y/N was there.”

“That’s it?” Bobby asked the man. It seemed he was the only one looking at this with a closer eye as you and Dean suddenly clammed up. “You don’t really remember—“

“Let’s me glad, Bobby.” You cut him off before he could somehow make this moment be cut short if Sam thought too hard about this. Your lips stretched into a tight smile, as if to warn him not to tread too hard over the topic of the cage. You quickly looked back over at the younger Winchester, overjoyed at the thought that Sam didn’t remember what he did without a soul. About how he slept with you for that year. “Who wants to remember all that hell?”

“Well,” Sam placed down his sandwich that was nothing more than the leftover crust to ask the most dreaded question of all. “How long was I gone?”

“About a year and a half.” Dean said.

“What? I was downstairs f—I don’t remember anything. So, how’d I get back? Was it Cas?” Sam wondered. Your expression faltered slightly as your gaze seemed to have found something else to stare at for the moment. Sam knew right away that it was a warning sign that you were to blame for this. “Y/N, what did you do?”

“Me and Death—“

“Death?! The horseman?”

“I had leverage. It’s done.” You reassured Sam that all loose ends were nearly tied up. He gave you an uneasy look, wondering if you were sure about that. You reached out and squeezed his forearm, your lips stretching into a warm smile. “I promise, Sasquatch. It’s over. Slate’s clean for us.”

“Well, isn’t this just neat and clean?” Bobby asked. He didn’t seem all that warm and fuzzy about this entire situation. You rolled your eyes as you tried your hardest not to give him a glare from how cold he was acting around the younger Winchester.

“Yes, it is—for once.” Dean agreed with you. He looked over his shoulder and shot the older man a warning glare to keep a lid on it. One little hint, one little mistake and this entire situation might unravel in front of their eyes. It was a risk Dean wasn’t willing to take. He’d happily lie straight through his teeth for the rest of his life if it meant you and Sam wouldn’t learn the truth.

“Is there anything else I should know?” Sam asked, seeming to feel the tension rise in the room ever so slightly. You let out a slow breath as you hit your tongue from any secrets that might be tempted to spill as Dean stiffened slightly knowing there was plenty to talk about. But that would be for another day. Or never at all.

“No.” Dean said. He grabbed his empty bottle and lifted it up to his little brother. “Another beer?”

Sam nodded his head in agreement. He watched as his his brother pushed himself up to his feet and headed to the fridge. While you and Dean seemed to act as if things were going back to the way it was, Bobby seemed a little off. However, Sam didn’t say anything, thinking there might have been a different reason that wasn’t about him.

\+ + +

It was a little later in the afternoon when you found yourself sitting on that ratty old couch in Bobby’s library to continue reading the book you had tried to start earlier. You sat with your knees pressed to your chest, engrossed in the fictional world, you had almost forgotten about your own. Bobby was off to another part of his property fixing up some cars, Dean headed out a few minutes ago with a couple of beers to talk. Sam was around here somewhere. You guessed he was still resting. Little did you realize when you looked up from the book you were reading he was lingering over you.

“Hey. Can I talk to you for a minute?” Sam asked. You nodded your head as you shut your book before scooching over slightly so he could sit his large frame down on the couch. The cushion sank down from his weight ever so slightly as you adjusted slightly, getting more comfortable as you turned your full attention to the man. You gave him a curious expression, wondering what he wanted to discuss between the both of you in privacy. He opened his mouth, but it seemed the younger Winchester grew a bit hesitant. Unsure if it was going to open up old wounds for you. “Before I jumped…you stabbed—you know.”

“Stabbed myself with the demon knife in order to stop Lucifer? Yeah, I remember. You don’t have to walk on eggshells around me, Sam. I’ve had a year to come to terms with what I did. Unfortunately…it wasn’t the best move I could have done. If you’re wondering if I died, I did.” You told him the truth that he had been wondering since he began to go through the memories that he remembered. But it wasn’t the least bit shocking information he was going to hear. “I went to the cage with you, too.”

“What?” Sam asked. His tone of voice was shocked at hearing the detail. “But I thought—”

“I didn’t stay long as you did. I was in there for a hot second before I got pulled back, scott free. Let’s just say it’s good to have friends in all the wrong places.” You said. Sam gave you a confused look when you didn’t elaborate further, you shrugged your shoulders from the lack of answers you were able to give him. “I don’t regret what I did. Maybe that’s how I killed off that bitch. She’s gone. Cas checked me over to make sure. Everything’s okay, Sammy.”

Hearing that you got the okay from Cas made Sam let out an audible sigh of relief, as if he was expecting all of your hard work to have gone to waste. You smiled at him at the outcome for the both of you. You tried explaining the best that you could to Sam, knowing there were details that you couldn’t tell him, in fear that it would make all of your own hard work go away. You didn’t want to tell him about Crowley and the deal you made with him. Because then it would bring everything back up—from how he really had been soulless for this entire year, the things you and the boys did for Crowley in order to get his soul back. Only for that to be a waste of time.

You were human and Sam had his soul back. The demon Crowley was dead, as well. And far as you were concerned, so was this matter.

\+ + +

A dead body and a missing girl after a plane crash? You jumped on the opportunity for an actual hunt when Dean mentioned about heading out with Bobby to look into the matter a bit further. You decided that you would stick behind with Sam to keep an eye on him while the two men went to inspect the details. You would happily do whatever sort of research they needed. And spending time with Sam—the real Sam—was something that you desperately wanted to soak up every second of. You stood with your arms crossed over your chest as Bobby and Dean loaded up the Impala with what supplies they would need and a duffel bag or two full of clothes.

“Sam still asleep?” Bobby asked as he opened up the backseat door to toss a bag inside.

“Yeah, I’ll let him rest. When he wakes up I’ll tell him where you guys ran off to.” You said. You weren’t expecting it when a voice came from behind, making you look over your shoulder to see it was Sam himself. He must have awoke from his nap to see where all of you had wandered off to. “Oh. There’s this thing in Oregon.”

“Great. I’m in.” Sam said. He seemed ecstatic at the idea of going on a hunt like nothing was wrong. You let out a quiet chuckle as you decided to try and change his gears from working so fast at a time like this when he should have been resting.

“Whoa, whoa. Slow down there, buddy. You just got vertical.” You said. Sam didn’t see what the fuss was about. He was up on his feet and he was ready to go. “I was thinking you and I could hang out here for a few days. Watch some crap cable and hit the books.”

“Right, because that’s what you and Dean did when you got back from hell.” Sam said, rolling his eyes from how you were coddling him.

"Technically, yes I did.” You said as you pointed a finger in his direction to prove yourself right. “It was two weeks until I got back into the swing of things.”

“If I remember correctly, that was because you were avoiding me and Bobby.” Sam reminded of the time to what felt like a million years before. It was your turn to roll your eyes in annoyance.

“Oh, you three go on ahead. You got this covered. I, uh, forgot I promised that idjit Rufus I’d work the phones for him, so…” Bobby backed out last second when the younger Winchester decided to tag along. You looked at the man and asked him if he was sure about it. “Yeah, yeah, yeah. You three enjoy catching up, okay?”

You mumbled a goodbye as you watched Bobby head back into the house, leaving you and Sam a bit confused to the sudden shift in plans. “What was that?” Sam asked his brother as he pointed a thumb over his shoulder and back to the house.

Dean knew exactly why from the conversation he had with Bobby earlier today. He refrained from telling Sam the entire truth. “One part age, three parts liquor.”

You and Sam didn’t question the response. You got into the backseat as the boys took their proper spots up front: Dean behind the wheel and Sam in the passenger. You examined the scene for a moment as Dean turned on the engine, turning on the same music you heard a million times before. While you had hunted as a team before over the past year, it didn’t feel right until this exact moment. When things were the way they should always be.

\+ + +

Darkness fell as the time slipped into the early evening for you and the boys during your road trip to Oregon. You overlooked the news article written about the missing duo as Sam spoke to one of the officers who was at the scene. You wondered what the bell could have happened in order for a private plane to crash and leave one dead but another to vanish. Nobody could have survived a crash like that. The wounds the girl would have gotten alone would have likely killed her. And considering how badly the storms were during the night, the elements eventually would have wore her down before death took her. 

"You got it, officer. Thank you. You too.” Sam wrapped up the call with the officer whom he’d been speaking to for the past twenty or so minutes. You looked up from the article when Sam told you and his brother what he had learned. “So get this. Besides the crash, there were two other disappearances in town this week. Last weekend a college girl vanished from her apartment. On the seventeenth floor. And then three days ago another girl didn’t make it home from school.”

“They know each other?” You wondered.

“No. No connection.” Sam said. “Just young and female, like the plane crash girl.”

“Huh. What would make a girl disappear straight out of the sky?” You asked, knowing this might have been one of the more stranger cases you had taken in a while. “Now that is the million dollar question.” 

A pause of silence fell between the three of you as you concentrated once more on the article as Dean kept his mind focus on the road. Sam stayed quiet for a few seconds or so, taking in the information that you had given him earlier this afternoon and began wondering what you and his brother did over the last year without him.

“So you never even tried, huh?” Sam wondered. The question made you and Dean break your concentration away and stare at the younger Winchester with slight confusion. “Y/N told me what happened to her before she bounced back. I thought the two of you would have wanted to go live a life…after. You constantly fought about it back and forth. And you promised us.”

“Yeah, I remember.” Dean mumbled ever so quietly. He knew there was more to this situation that he could let on right now. The both of you would have to make it up as you went along.

“So why didn’t you?” Sam asked. You looked up from the paper as Dean wondered what made the young man think such a thing. “'Cause look at you two. Look at this. You’re exactly the same.”

“It wasn’t that easy, Sammy.” You muttered to the man. You swallowed as you looked down once more to the article on your lap and the flashlight in your grip. “Dean and I…we didn’t see each other right away when I got out. I decided to hunt on my own for a little while.”

“I was with Lisa and Ben while you two were gone. For about a year.” Dean added to the story that was mostly true. Sam seemed a bit taken back at hearing his brother with another woman other than you, and, not to mention, your hesitance to go running back to the man you loved. Sam asked what happened to make the both of you change your minds. “Y/N came round one day and saved my ass from this djinn. Thought I wanted out. But then I saw Y/N again…things between Lisa and me ended up not working out. And that’s okay. It’s better this way. For everyone.”

The tone of Dean’s voice sounded different from his expression. While he sounded happy to see that everything was back to the way it was, you peeked into the rear view mirror to see that his expression told a different story. Before Sam could ask anything else about what he missed while he was gone, Dean reached out and turned up the music, making the rest of the drive in silence.

\+ + +

You and the boys settled yourselves into a motel and gathered all sort of information you could learn about the most recent victims that seemed to have disappeared out of thin air. One vanished while walking home from school, another disappeared while in her apartment on the top floor, and—the most strange of them all—Penny, your latest victim, disappeared straight out of the sky while her boyfriend was left burnt to a crisp. You had to admit, whatever the hell was causing all of these girls to go missing, it was more of the weirder cases that you had taken on lately. And nothing like a head scratcher to make sure to ease all of you back into hunting a real monster on your own terms again.

You knocked on the front door of Penny’s home she shared with her older sister sister for the last year and a half. You and the boys were dressed in your usual attire of formal wear and fake badges when the door open to reveal a young woman. You smiled politely at her and introduce yourselves like normal, tucking the badge into your pocket when you showed the woman to make sure she wasn’t letting any sort of stranger into her house. Penny’s sister seemed hesitant to welcome the three of you inside, feeling emotionally drained enough from seeing all sorts of police officers come through her door and being interviewed.

“We’d just like to ask you a few questions.” Sam said.

“Look, the cops already came by.” Penny’s sister admitted, not in the mood right now continue on a conversation she thought wasn’t going to help find her little sister. “So if you don’t mind—”

“I understand. Really, I do. I know how hard this must be.” Sam cut off the woman, empathizing with her about the emotional pain she was trying to deal with right now. You looked over to the younger Winchester to see him giving the same puppy dog expression like he used to in order to connect with people and make them feel safe. You didn’t realize how much you missed it until now. “We’d just like to figure out what happened. This will be quick. I promise.”

Penny’s sister thought about it for a moment before she opened up the door wider, nodding her head for the three of you to come inside. Sam gave the woman a smile as he stepped in first, you followed behind a moment later. You and Dean stared at each other for a moment as the smallest smile began creeping at the ends of your lips at what you saw unfold.

Sam was intimidating by the nature of how he appeared; he was taller than most and trained like a soldier his entire life. One would think he would have ended up in a way like how he acted without a soul. But he didn’t. He was always too empathetic for his own good and tried to do the right thing, and always looked for the good in people. Not to mention, felt guilt over the simplest of things.

Sam without a soul was a good hunter and did the terrible things that nobody with a conscious wanted to. But he was too dangerous for his own good. Sam, with that pesky soul in his body that took months to get, was exactly how he should be. He was back to his old self. And damn, did it feel good.

You and the boys followed behind Penny’s sister and to a bedroom that looked rather…pink. The interior of the place was rather cute, but not at all what you were expecting for a woman in her early twenties to have. You examined the room as Penny’s sister lingered in the doorway, not wanting to touch any of her things. Sam grabbed a picture off from somewhere and examined the photograph of a smiling Penny and a young man she was standing next to. He presumed it was Stan from the nature of their body structure.

“Penny was very shy. To herself.” Penny’s sister said, trying to give all of you a clear picture of what the young woman was like. You wandered over to her bedroom to see that her comforter was shades of pink and white, like her bedroom, and decorated with a cute teddy bear. “Not at all what you’d call adventurous.”

“Like flying through a lightning storm in a two-seater?” Dean asked.

“She was terrified of that thing. She just did it for Stan.” Penny’s sister explained to you and the boys. You raised your brow slightly as you repeated the unfamiliar name, wondering who that happened to be. “Her boyfriend. They were just starting to get serious. She didn’t wanna seem, you know, not interested. I just wish I’d told her to stay home. We don’t even have a body to bury.”

The situation Penny’s sister and her family were being forced to go through was terrible. You had a feeling the victims that were vanishing were in fact still alive. Well, that was the best case scenario you wanted to be true. Whatever took Penny and the other girls, you had a feeling it wasn’t going to be stopping anytime soon. You and the boys needed to find out what causing all these disappearances before someone else could be taken, or worse, found dead.

\+ + +

The girl next door; innocent and sweet, the one who stays out of trouble and does charity work on the weekends for the homeless or their local church. The type of girl every mother wants their son to bring home. Each victim that disappeared in town seemed like the type. They varied in age from being the young age of seventeen to Penny, who was the oldest at twenty-two. All of them were noted for being shy and sweet, none of which seemed like the type to do anything stupid to put themselves in trouble. It didn’t help you in the fact that you still didn’t know what was snatching them up. A demon who had a thing for the sweet ones, a ghost who could see all past that little facade to show who they really were. You had no leads.

You tossed the police file to the table as you let out a frustrated sigh from the lack of any sort of new information that you could find. You sat with your legs outstretched and propped up on one of the vacant chairs. Sam sat across the other side of the table with his laptop open as he did his own research. Dean was out for the past hour or so, leaving you and his brother to do your favorite task of research. If Sam had been without a soul, Dean wouldn’t have trusted his brother to be alone with you for more than five minutes. However, Sam was back to his old self. He didn’t have a single clue what you and him had done during his year without a soul. Far as he was concerned, it was just another afternoon spent with his best friend doing research.

The motel room door opened a few moments later to see that it was Dean, back from his own tasks, but he wasn’t empty handed. Your stomach growled at the sight of the greasy paper bag he carried with a tray full of drinks. “What do you guys got?”

“Well, looks like those two other missing girls both baked cookies for the Lord. And before your mind goes straight into the gutter, it’s not code for kinky things, Dean.” You said, stopping the man from proposing any sort of ideas. “We’re talking church choir, bakes sales, promise rings clubs, the works. They were good girls. The thing that stumps me is that Penny wasn’t even a Christian.”

“I have another theory.” Dean said. He pulled out a small notebook from his back pocket. You wondered for a moment why it looked so familiar to you until the older Winchester told you what it was. “Penny’s diary.”

“Did you still that from her room?” Sam questioned his older brother, you could tell from his tone of voice that he was very much in disbelief at what the man had done. You tried your hardest not to smile at the kind of morals the man was suddenly sticking to.

“I love that you even ask me that.” Dean mumbled to himself with a bit of an amused smile.

“And why wouldn’t I?” Sam wondered. You reached for your drink so he wouldn’t see your own smirk start to to spread at the ends of your lips from how concerned the younger Winchester was acting at the idea of reading Penny’s most personal thoughts.

“No reason. So, girlnappings. What if it’s not about religion? What if it’s about purity?” Dean asked the both of you. You furrowed your brow as you thought to yourself for a second about what that could have possibly meant. When it finally clicked, your face dropped in a bit of surprise from this sort of cliched twist as you opened your mouth to make a presumption, Dean seemed all to eager to say it. "Virgins, guys. Virgins.”

“Penny was twenty-two.” Sam said, not believing what he was hearing.

“So? Some people want to meet that special someone. I lost mine when I was twenty-seven, all though that’s a whole other story. Penny had a pink room, for crying out loud. I doubt she even had her first kiss until just recently.“ You said. Sam gave you a bit of a confused look, wondering how you could jump to conclusions based upon how she decided to decorate her room. "I had pink walls when I was seven. Not to mention the teddy bears. She doesn’t seem like the type of girl who went out to the bars looking for a hookup. Unlike this one.”

"I enjoyed my time living the single life while it lasted.” Dean defended himself against you. You scoffed as you bit down on the plastic straw before taking another sip of your drink. “And to be fair, I think the slate was washed clean after I came back from hell with you. No scars, nothing. I was also a—”

“Dude. For the hundredth time, you were not a born again virgin.” Sam argued with his older brother as he rolled his eyes from the sort of logic Dean still was kept thinking was true.

“Touchy, touchy.” Dean muttered underneath his breath. He opened up the journal and searched through the pages before finding the exact entry that lead him to this sort of purity conclusion. You watched as he pointed up a finger, as if getting ready to recite old world literature while, in fact, it was the inner workings of a twenty-two year old virgin. You pretended to look on with an interested face as you raised your brow. “Listen to this; ‘I’ve decided I’m going to give Stan my most precious gift.'”

Dean read the last entry Penny had made before getting on the airplane her boyfriend had insisted on taking her along, thinking it was going to be the night where she would get the courage to give Stan her virginity. The older Winchester had given the reading a bit more feeling to it than he should have. You and Sam found yourselves looking over at each other from what had unfolded. Your nose wrinkled slightly as your lips stretched into a smile at what Dean recited. He was the farthest thing from a virgin. For some reason, it made you chuckle in amusement when Sam swallowed, acting as if he was trying his hardest not to become fully disturbed at what he was forced to listen to from his older brother. 

“Wow.” Sam muttered. “That sounded really creepy coming out of your mouth.”

“I think I delivered it.” Dean said, giving himself credit as he flipped through the diary. 

"I have to agree with Sammy on this one. You could have lead with the diary, you know. And not personally scarred us for life.” You told the older Winchester. Dean glanced up to give you the least bit amused expression from your remark. “Anyway, let’s say you’re right. Who would want virgins? Are we talking sacrifices or something weird like that?”

"You got me.” Dean admitted. “I’ve always preferred ladies with experience.”

You scoffed, “And look how that turned out for you.”

“Yeah. You gave me your ‘most precious gift.’” Dean said. “Call that a win for me, sweetheart.“

You were about to reach for the case file you were reading previously before Dean arrived back, but your hand dropped back down to your lap from what you heard the man say. You furrowed your brow and gave him a look of disbelief at how stupid he could be sometimes. The oldest Winchester thought it was hilarious as a smirk spread across his lips and gave you a playful wink when his brother rolled his eyes at how the conversation was turning out. You let out a sigh and grabbed the case file, trying your hardest not to smile at how much you missed hearing Dean’s terrible humor and Sam’s distaste for it.

\+ + +

The next morning you weren’t the least bit surprised to be greeted with the news that there was yet another girl added to the list of victims from whatever was causing mayhem among young females in this town. However, unlike the rest of the women, your newest victim didn’t vanish in thin air. She was attacked on her way home from school and was recuperating in the hospital. You and the boys got dressed in your formal clothes and decided to pay her a visit. All of you hoped she might be able to help you lead the three of you in the direction of what hurt her and made the rest of these women disappear without a trace.

“It happened so fast.” Melissa tried to explain her side of the story from her hospital bed as she laid on her side. You could tell from her appearance alone, from her busted up lip and bruised upper cheek, she had been through some hell.

“It’s okay, Melissa.” Sam reassured the young woman. “What came at you? You can tell us.”

“It—It looked like, uh…a giant bat.” Melissa said. You found yourself growing baffled at what she was saying as you looked over at the boys to see what their reaction was from hearing Melissa’s description of her attacker. “You think I’m making it up, right? That’s what the other man said.”

“Well, we’re not that other man.” You said, turning your gaze back to the girl. Your lips stretched into a warm smile, giving her some encouragement to continue with her story.

“It came right at me. It was huge. I swear. That’s how I got this.” Melissa said. She proceeded to move around slightly in bed so she shifted her weight to her stomach and grab ahold of her hospital gown. You leaned over slightly to see there was two rather long scars down her back, almost identical to claw marks. You winced at how painful they must have been from how deep the wound appeared to have gone if they required stitches to close them up.

“So it attacked, and then what?” Sam asked.

“I don’t know.” Melissa admitted. “I passed out and when I woke up, it was gone.”

"Is there anything else that you could think of? Anything you can tell us, even if it doesn’t seem important?” You asked her, hoping to get some more information out of her.

“Well, my ring got lost.” She said. You looked down to see that she was holding her ring finger where her lost belonging once was. “Or else that thing stole it, if that makes any sense.”

“What kind of ring?” Dean asked.

“Gold. Promise ring.” Melissa answered the question. You looked back over at the brothers when you noticed the pattern seemed to have been continuing. If Melissa was still a virgin herself with a promise ring, it begged the question why she wasn’t taken like the others. Maybe it had enough victims and wanted her ring for the sake of it being a sign of purity. Or maybe the thing you were hunting also liked shiny things.

“Promise ring. So, uh, from, like, a church, like a purity ring?” Dean wondered. Melissa nodded her head and asked him why. You sensed what the older Winchester was getting at as he cleared his throat, suddenly feeling awkward from what he was about to ask the young woman. “I gotta ask. Melissa, look, nobody is judging anybody here, okay? Believe me. But should you really be wearing that ring?”

Melissa looked at the older Winchester with a shocked expression at what he was insinuating. She tried to say that she was, Dean could see right through it as he raised his brow at the good girl act she was trying to keep up. You let out a sigh and gave her a serious look, wondering what the truth was. “Matt Barne didn’t count.”

You and the boys left the conversation at that before it could turn any more awkward than it was. Whatever sort of logic Melissa was thinking with was the dumbest thing you ever heard of, but it might have possibly saved her life. You tried to think of possibilities of monsters that liked to take virgins and attack ones that weren’t. Gold was also a motive as well. You only left the hospital with scratching your head at how even more confusing this hunt was turning out.

“So, what, you think Batman tried to rape her?” Sam asked, trying to come up with some sort of explanation that would give the three of you a clue to what was going on here.

“Well, he does carry a lot of rage. But he rejected her because she was already dehymenated, huh?” Dean said. You shrugged your shoulders as you looked over at him, thinking that the man might have something going on here. The monster might have attacked Melissa not only for her ring, but because she was wearing it in a false sense of purity. “I think it just goes to show you that being easy is pretty much all upside.”

You lightly pushed him from his tasteless remark as you shook your head in disapproval, yet the smile that spread across your lips told a different story. You looked over to see the Impala was getting closer in your view as all of you continued your journey through the parking lot. “So, what kind of thing likes virgins and gold?”

“P. Diddy?” Dean said, taking a wild guess.

“You know, it’s comforting.” Sam said. You began heading for the backseat of the Impala as you looked over your shoulder to ask Sam what he was talking about. “I died for a year, came back and Dean’s still not funny.” 

“Shut up.” Dean defended himself. “I’m hilarious.”

“Of course you are. Don’t forget adorable.” You said. You reached out and lightly pinched Dean on the cheek, making the man flinch and back away before you could do it again. You chuckled to yourself from his reaction as you opened up the backseat door and slipped yourself inside for the ride back to the motel.

\+ + +

You and the boys spent the rest of the afternoon gathering all the information that you had to try and figure out what you might be possibly dealing with. Sam stuck with research on his laptop as you and Dean pinned a map of the town to the motel wall and placed up pictures of the missing victims to the locations of where they disappeared along with where Melissa was attacked. You stepped back when Dean put up your last clue and placed your hands on your hips, wondering what could be responsible for all of this. Sam’s research seemed to have gotten a possible lead, despite how medieval and out of the ordinary he was expecting to find.

“This can’t be possible.” Sam said. You glanced over your shoulder to see what was causing the man to suddenly become confused at what he discovered. “I Googled fire, claws, flying, stealing virgins and gold, and it all takes me to the same place. 'World of Warcraft’ fan sites.”

“Wait, wait. Are you telling me some guy who’s living in his mom’s basement is causing all of these disappearances?” You asked, cracking a joke yourself. Sam didn’t seem to think you were funny. “So, what are we hunting today? Demon with a gaming addiction? One who has a thing for virgins and gold?”

“Dragons, Y/N.” Sam said. Your brow jumped in surprise at what you hearing for a possibility to what was going on here. You crossed your arms over your chest and looked over at Dean, wondering what he thought of all of this. The both of you had seen your fair share of unusual things while hunting. You wondered if this would fit the pattern of the creepy and crawly. The younger Winchester didn’t think it was so likely. “See? Told you. Not possible.”

“Actually,” Dean said. “It might be.”

“How?” Sam asked his older brother. “In what reality?”

“It’s been a strange year. We should get a second opinion.” Dean said. He pulled out his phone and headed over to the couch to take a seat. You headed over to the table to sit across from Sam as you occupied yourself for a moment to read over some police reports. Bobby’s home phone rang a few times before the man picked up. “What do you know about dragons?”

“What? Nothing.” Bobby said. Dean pressed the older hunter for more information when he told the man that he was being serious here “Well, they’re not like the Loch Ness monster, Dean. Dragons aren’t real.”

“Could you make a feel calls?” Dean asked anyway. 

“To who, Hogwarts?” Bobby sarcastically suggested, not sure who he’d even ask for advice on something like this.

“Humor me.” Dean said. He could almost imagine Bobby rolling his eyes in annoyance when he mumbled an agreement from the other end of the line. “You’re a gentleman and a scholar.”

“Yeah, yeah.” Bobby grumbled underneath his breath. There was a pause of silence between the two men for a moment before the older hunter spoke up, deciding to ask for an update about you and Sam. “Hey, how’s Memento doing over there? He caught you in any lies yet? And what about Carrie? You seeing any sort of side effects from her?”

“Everything’s fine. Sam and Y/N say hey.” Dean said, keeping the conversation normal like always when he noticed you looked over in his direction for a moment at the mention of your name. You looked back down to your paperwork as you flipped to another page. Sam continued on researching like normal. Dean ended the call and stared at his phone for a moment, feeling slightly funny and guilty about how Bobby was handling all of this.

“You okay?” Your question made the older Winchester quickly glance up from his phone and back up to you. You gave him a concerned look from how he suddenly appeared. While he said that everything was all right, you had a sneaky suspicion of what it might have been. You would leave the conversation for later when Sam wasn’t around. “Bobby say anything?”

Dean answered with a simple, nope. You rolled your eyes when the man pushed himself up to his feet and headed across the room. While you didn’t have concrete proof that dragons were the cause of all of this, you decided to take a crack at what research you might be able to find on dragons. You remained as you were from your spot at the table as time passed from the phone call with Bobby. You now had your laptop in front of you as you tried to research more information about dragons on different websites to try and pinpoint what they were and how to defeat one. If that was what you were up against. All of it felt like a bunch of nonsense.

The idea of hunting a dragon, the mythical creature that you remembered from your childhood fairy tales as being the obstacle that stood in the way of the brave knight who had to slay the beast and rescue the princess. You wondered in all of those fairy tales that the princess was a virgin herself. Might have explained the dragon element. One of the dragons you remembered from your childhood was from Sleeping Beauty. Maleficent, the evil queen, turned into a dragon to ward off Prince Philip who tried to rescue Aurora. Your entire life you thought that things like this were just part of tales and video games. And in the beginning of the year you would have never suspected of Alpha monsters or this little place called Purgatory. It turned out this year was for a lot of firsts.

“Dad never wrote anything about dragons. I promise.” Dean said. You glanced up from your laptop screen for a moment to see that he was talking to his little brother. Sam was sitting on one of the motel beds, flipping through their father’s journal for some kind of new information about the thing you were hunting. “I’d remember if I read The Neverending Story in there.”

Sam decided to flip through one more page to see if he could find anything useful. He found himself stopping for a moment and stared at a drawing of some sort that struck some weird sort of familiarity. “Hey, did we hunt a skinwalker lately?”

You felt yourself suddenly become frozen in your position at what you heard. Your eyes slowly moved away from the screen and to the oldest Winchester that sat across from you. You suddenly became overwhelmed with joy when you realized that you were sitting with your back to Sam, so he couldn’t see your moment of panic before you pulled yourself together.

“No.” You said. You turned around in your spot so you were now facing the man. “This is your first case you insisted on helping out since coming back. Why?”

“I don’t know. Just deja vu or something.” Sam said. You pretended to be the confused one here as Dean played a mean poker face, making the younger Winchester feel irked at this feeling that came over him. He thought about it for a moment or so, making the urge grow stronger. “Are you guys sure? I could have sworn—”

“You gotta remember your eggs are still a little bit scrambled. But, yeah. I’m sure.“ Dean said. Sam didn’t seem convinced all that much about the feeling. But he left it alone. You let out a quiet sigh of relief and turned your attention forward, you went back to your research as Dean’s phone began ringing once more. "Hey, Bobby. What do you got?”

“Can’t believe she didn’t jump right to mind. Dr. Visyak, Medieval Studies, SFU.” Bobby said, giving a source that might help lead all of you into figuring out how to stop these things.

“Dr. Visyak, SFU. Got it. Thanks.” Dean said. He ended the call after writing down the info on a piece of paper and ripped off the scrap. “All right, wrap it up, Nancy Drew. You and I are taking a little field trip.”

“What, what?” You asked. “Where are we going?”

“San Francisco. We’re going to try and figure out how to kill these things.” Dean said. You shut your laptop and pushed yourself up to your feet as he began grabbing his bag and jacket. “Sam, figure out where they are while we’re gone.”

“Did Bobby say where they like to park?” Sam asked, hoping for a helpful hint in the right direction to make his life easier. Dean lead with the unfortunate answer of no. “Great. Back to the lore.”

“Which says what, that they live in Middle-earth?” Dean asked.

“No, caves. It was one of the most consistent answers I could find during research. Might be a bit helpful, Sammy. And If you run into any trouble, call me.” You answered the older Winchester with an actual answer as you headed for the door with your laptop in your hands. As you waited for the older Winchester, you noticed right away that Dean rolled his eyes. “What?”

“You two are such nerds.” Dean said. Your lips stretched into a smile, taking it as a compliment.

“Thank you. Now, come my knight in shining armor.” You said. You dragged Dean out the door as you followed behind, not leaving right away before you said a quick goodbye to the younger WInchester. “Remember, if you need my help, I’m a phone call away.”

Sam noted your helpful offer, but he doubt you would be getting a phone call to or back from San Francisco. If anything Sam loved about hunting, it was research. He could get himself lost for hours trying to find the right answer. It was also something you felt comfortable leaving the man to do by himself. You also didn’t mind the idea of spending some time with Dean and learning about some new information about dragons Call it a win-win.

\+ + +

The next morning you and Dean arrived in San Francisco and tracked down the home of one Dr. Visyak, professor of medieval studies. Bobby said if there was anyone who would know about this dragon business, it would be her. You and Dean stepped out of the parked Impala, you took a moment to examine the property before slamming the passenger side door and following behind the older Winchester. The both of you headed to the front double doors. You crossed your arms over your chest as you watched Dean press his index finger against the intercom button. You looked forward when you heard a buzz echo, signaling your presence. It was a second or so until you heard a female voice speak from the other end.

“Dr. Visyak? My name is Dean Winchester.” Dean introduced himself as you bent down slightly to stare into the small camera above the button on the intercom before uncrossing one arm to give a small wave to the professor. “This is Y/N Y/L/N—“

“Office hours are Monday and Friday.” Dr. Visyak said. She cut off the man before he could try and formally introduce the both of you to get it out of the way. It seemed the professor thought you were here on other business that didn’t concern her. The handful of missing girls and a town being terrorized by dragons told a very much different story.

“Bobby Singer sent us.” You explained. You stepped forward so you were now standing next to Dean, the both of you were in perfect view of the small camera Dr. Visyak could be staring at right now to see who the hell was bugging her this morning. You rolled your eyes in frustration when he other line went silent for a short period of time. “Hello?”

You stood up straight and crossed your arms over your chest once more, an annoyed glare settled in your expression from what was going on. The both of you waited a moment until your head looked in the direction of the front door. To your surprise, it opened up. Dr. Visyak stood in the doorway and gestured for the two of you to follow her inside. You noticed right away about how the professor had a taste for art and very precious artifacts she must have collected over the years. She lead you and Dean into her office as she walked over to her desk to grab her drink, thinking for a moment about the name that lead this meeting.

“Bobby Singer. Tell him something for me next time you see him.” Dr. Visyak said. You glanced away from the artwork she had on her fire mantel and in her direction, wondering what it might be. As you were about to examine the pieces again, her request quickly made you look back in a bit of surprise. “Actually, just kick him in the jewels. That’s more poetic.”

“He has that effect on some people.” You said, suddenly becoming curious to know about this relationship between the professor and hunter. “No love lost between you two, huh?”

Dr. Visyak laughed quietly at your question as she leaned against her desk, you noticed how her smile seemed to have been triggered by their very interesting chemistry. “No. Just the opposite. That’s his story to tell. He’s the idiot.” She said. You raised your brow slightly as she gestured an arm to the couch behind you. You and Dean took a seat. “So, what’s this about?”

“Well, dragons.” Dean said. Dr. Visyak pushed herself up to her feet and began walking forward to the both of you. She seemed a bit skeptical about the subject you wanted to discuss. “What, no twelve-sided dice joke?”

“We can joke about them because they’ve disappeared. But they aren’t funny. At all.” Dr. Visyak said. Her tone of voice shifted into a serious one as she took a seat across from the both of you.

“Well, one just flew in stateside.” You told her. Dr. Visyak was still unsure if this could be possible of hearing activity from a creature that had been extinct for centuries. “Fits the lore to a T. Unless you’ve got something else that explains why a town is missing a handful of virgins and attacked another poor girl for her gold purity ring.”

Dr. Visyak knew herself from the information you gave her alone was enough proof to realize a dragon was the cause of this disaster. However, she couldn’t get over the fact that one would suddenly appear after all this time. “But how? I mean, why?” She wondered. “Its been seven hundred years.”

“Banner crop of crazy all the around these days, doc.” Dean said.

“So you want to know how to kill it?” Dr. Visyak asked. You nodded your head in agreement. It was the reason why you and Dean traveled all night to get here. “Well, you need a blade.”

“Okay.” You said, understanding so far what she was saying. “What kind of blade?”

“One forged with dragon's’ blood.” Dr. VIsyak answered you. You had been listening intently to what she was saying, trying to make sure that you wouldn’t miss over any important information. However, it took you a second to fully understand what she just said.

"Wait, wait.” You chuckled as you backtracked slightly to try and understand what the professor just told you. “You need one to kill one, but you gotta kill one to make one. I’m sorry, but how does that work?”

“There aren’t many dragon swords around anymore. Five or six tops, worldwide. There’s the sword of St. George and of course Excalibur and—” Dr. Visyak started to go on about all of these sword for a moment. You noted how much she knew about these things. Her lips curled into a smile as she lifted the glass she was drinking back to her mouth. “Well, I sure as hell better. I have one in the basement.”

“You do?” Dean asked, sounding surprised at what he was hearing. You looked over at the man for a moment, the both of you shared a look of astonishment from how easy something rare as a sword forged in dragon’s blood was to find. Dr. Visyak pushed herself to her feet and told the /both of you to follow behind her to the basement where the sword was collecting dust.

“Finding it took two decades, countless hours and some really bad sex with an Eastern European ambassador, but, yeah.” Dr. Visyak told the both of you the tale of how she managed to track down one of the most rarest things in her personal collection. A smile began to spread across your lips from what you were about to see, and not to mention, work with.

The professor lead the two of you downstairs and into the basement where a pair of double doors kept you from the very thing that would slay the beast. She opened up the doors and flicked on a light, your eyes went directly to across the room where you noticed a rather large boulder sat in the middle. You looked up to see the famous sword was stuck inside. You couldn’t help yourself but doubt at what you were seeing as you let out a laugh of excitement.

“That is not real. Is that real?” You quickly stopped in your tracks and looked back to the professor, suddenly wondering if she was pulling your leg. Dr. Visyak took your accusation with a bit of offense as she crossed her arms over her chest. “Is it Excalibur?”

“No. This is the sword of Bruncvik.” Dr. Visyak said, speaking the name with an accent as she smiled. You looked back to the sword as Dean approached the rock. “Love of my life.”

“So, uh,” Dean examined the boulder as he tried to figure out a way to get this sword out from the very thing keeping it in place. “What’s with the cement shoe?”

“You know, binding sword to stone. Used to be all the rage. To protect them.” Dr. Visyak explained. Dean didn’t realize the ball and chain was used to protect the powerful sword from the wrong hands. The professor laughed at the man’s enthusiasm. “Oh, come on. You know this one. We need a brave knight who’s willing to step up and kill the beast.”

“Right.” Dean said. You crossed your arms over chest again and felt a smirk spread across your lips from what he was thinking about doing. You raised your brow in amusement at the idea Dean was planning out. He wasn’t exactly honorable knight, but he was brave in your eyes. And he was willing to put his life on the line to slay this dragon. He began circling around the boulder once more. “All right, well, I’ll give it a whirl. Do you mind?”

Dr. Visyak was more than happy to oblige as she gestured out an arm, wanting to see this sight unfold for herself. The two of you watched as Dean stepped forward and placed one foot steady on the boulder to give him some leverage and wrapped his hand tightly around the sword. You expected this to go easy. Dean was born for this kind of role. However, despite saving countless lives over the years and even stopping the apocalypse itself, it might take some extra elbow grease to get this sword out of this damn rock.

Dean wasn’t weak by any means. His first attempt at pulling out the sword was a weak one at that, wondering what he was dealing with. It seemed the sucker was really wedged in there. So, he attempted again, deciding to try a little harder. But…nothing. Dean grunted in frustration and looked over his shoulder to see you and Dr. Visyak staring at him, wondering how progress was going. You gave him a smile as you patiently waited. Dean turned back to the sword and decided to place both hands on the handle, when he made sure he got a good grip, he pulled hard as he could. Only this time, he felt himself lose his footing and went falling to the ground after failing, yet again.

You let out a sigh as you closed your eyes for a moment as Dr. Visyak politely averted her gaze away for a moment and slightly scratched the back of her neck in second hand embarrassment from what she just witnessed. “You okay, Dean?” You asked out of concern, refraining yourself from wondering if he might need a hand.

“Never better.” Dean promised you. You would begged to differ.

Dean managed to pushed himself back up to his feet as he scalded up the boulder and back to that damn sword. He wasn’t the type to give up so easily, either. Dean decided that enough was enough. He put both feet on each side of the boulder and got a white knuckle grip on the sword. You moved around slightly to get a good look at the strange faces that he was making while he attempted to get the sword out. He grunted and pulled hard as he could, but that sword was staying where it was. You covered your mouth slightly as you found yourself becoming a little too amused at the sight of him struggling.

“Oh, son of a bitch.” He grunted. “That’s really on there.”

“Yeah, afraid so.” Dr. Visyak said. Dean admitted defeat when he lost his footing on the boulder and stumbled backwards slightly. He managed to catch his footing as he stepped back to try and figure out what to do. Before anyone could notice, he wiped away the thin amount of sweat he worked up while trying to get the sword out. You thought to yourself for a moment about what you could do. A big rock with the prize inside. Maybe none of you were the brave knight for the sword. But you sure as hell weren’t going to give up this easily. You were smarter than a rock.

“Well, I have another idea.” You suggested. Dr. Visyak looked in your direction and wondered what it might be. Your lips stretched into a forced smile from the usual plan you were about to offer up. “You’re not gonna like it.” 

This sword made of dragon’s blood was the very life’s work of Dr. Visyak. It took her countless decades to hunt and track down. She was more than willing to lend it over to the both of you if you could get it out of the boulder in one piece. However, the sword was stuck in there, there was no way in hell you or Dean could get it out. And you found no other way to slay this dragon that was becoming a uncisence. You wanted to take some leftover supplies from the time Sam, Bobby and Cas used to take down a shady medical supplies company that tried to spread the croatoan virus in some flu vaccine. It was the works of Pestilence and from the apocalypse that you had to deal with once upon a time. Now you wanted to use it to blow up a rock.

Dr. Visyak thought you were joking at first. She didn’t think you would do something that absurd. However, when you and Dean arrived back to the basement with a duffel bag full of supplies, she realized that you weren’t pulling her leg You had every intention to do whatever it took to free that sword. She was more concerned about the damage than saving lives.

“You know what? I don’t like this at all.” Dr. Visyak said. She stepped in front of the both of you, making you stop in your tracks. You rolled your eyes from her attempts at stopping you. “You do realize that this is the single most valuable artifact you have ever touched?”

“It’s also the only weapon we have.” You argued with her. Dr. Visyak still wasn’t jumping on board with the idea. “Look, we know what we’re doing, okay? I actually learned it all from Bobby. Whatever happened there, you know he’s at least a genius at this. And not to mention, we’ve got lives at stake here. Do you want us to kill that dragon or not?”

All it took was a bit of guilt before Dr. Visyak rolled her eyes in frustration when he agreed to the plan at the mention of the poor women. She stepped out of the way, allowing you and Dean to go to work on the new plan. Dean dropped the duffel bag down to the ground and crouched down so he was now at level with the boulder. He pulled out a brick of the C4 and grew a smirk.

“You rocks think you’re so smart.” Dean mocked the intimate object.

You figured out the right spots to make this plan work right, Dean put the bricks in the spot where you told him so. Fifteen minutes later after some planning, the both of you had everything hooked up. You let out a sigh as you said a silent prayer, hoping this would work in your favor. Dean got all the wiring together and began to slowly unravel it as he walked backwards to the doorway where Dr. Visyak nervously stood, watching the two of you with a close eye.

“All right.” You mumbled. “Welcome to the twenty-first century.”

You patted the rock for good luck before heading back to the doorway with Dean so the both of you were a safe distance from what was about to unfold. Dr. Visyak seemed even more nervous when you shut the doors after everything was in place and she couldn’t go back. The both of you stood back as Dean held the contraption in one hand and steadied the other with the doors so they wouldn’t fling open.

You held your breath as Dean gave a reassuring smile to Dr. Visyak before he pressed his thumb against the button, erupting a loud explosion to come from the other room. The professor flinched as the doors opened slightly before being pressed back down from Dean’s weight. The three of you waited a few seconds to let the smoke clear before opening the doors to see what the damage was. When they were finally opened, you wanted to see the outcome of your big plan to see if it was a fail you were expecting to see.

You coughed when you accidentally breathed in the debris of smoke and rock particles as you ventured deeper into the basement again. When you saw the rock was broken into pieces from where you put the bricks, a smile spread across your lips at your achievement. You thought you were in the clear as you began walking over to the sword, wanting to be the one to pull it out and continue this moment of victory. When you pulled the sword out of the boulder, you were expecting it to feel more…heavy. And it should have. Only when you placed the sword in the air, your face dropped slightly when you realized why it was so light—because you were only holding half of it.

“Oh, crap.” You muttered to yourself. You nervously swallowed as you turned around to show the result of your great plan to Dean and Dr. Visyak. If you thought you were devastated, the professor looked like she was about to faint at the sight of her most precious artifact. Your lips stretched into a smile as you tried to think of the silver lining. “You’ve got insurance for this, right?”

\+ + +

The results you brought back to show Sam weren’t exactly what you wanted, but it was what the three of you were going to have to work with. You and Dean arrived back in Oregon the next day after doing yet another drive back. While you were exhausted and wanted to sleep, you knew the hunt wasn’t over just yet. Sam seemed a little bit disappointed when you told him the plan you had as he examined the sword for himself.

“What are we supposed to do with this, Y/N?” Sam asked. “Give it a booster shot?”

“I should’ve grabbed the other half and duct taped it together. It’s not ideal, I know. But it’s what we got. We’ll just have to get closer. That’s all.” You said, trying to think of a plan that was the most logical after you accidentally screwed things up. You reached out and grabbed the sword from his grip to put it somewhere safe. “Now, where are we on the caves?”

“Nowhere. Sewers, on the other hand. Here, check this out.” Sam said. You looked down at the map lying on the table and placed your hands on your hips to examine the work the younger Winchester put in while you and Dean were gone. “So two of the disappearances happened within a mile of here. So I figure we start there, work our way around.”

“Great. Who doesn’t love sewers? And I thought things couldn’t get anymore crappier.“ You said, rolling your eyes from how your night was working out. "Let’s go.”

You and Dean began working on getting the supplies you might need to face a dragon and rescue a few missing women. Dean grabbed the sword and moved across the room to put it back into the duffel bag. You looked over to see that Sam was eerily silent with a look on his face that made you worry. Right now you couldn’t wonder what was suddenly bothering him, when you spoke his name, Sam snapped out of it, pretending like everything was fine.

\+ + +

You hated the sewers and whatever sort of monster decided to live here. It was disgusting, smelled of foul things you couldn’t get out of your clothes and it was never ending. Not to mention the tight spaces you were forced to crawl through. You kept your complaints to a minimum and breathed through your mouth when the smells hit places inside you that made you involentarly gag. You had searched through what felt like the entire sewer system of Oregon, but you knew you only made a small dent in this place. Wherever the hell this dragon was, he sure knew how to pick a good hiding spot for him and all his virgins.

“Oh, God. Just when I get used to a smell, I hit a new flavor.” Dean said. You ignored the man’s complaints best as you could as you followed behind him down the cement staircase to another part of the sewer that looked like other miles you walked through. There was no sign of a human being or a bat like creature. The three of you were alone. “Dude, we have been here for hours. There is nothing. I think the lore is off. Hey, what if dragons like nice hotels?”

You scoffed at his way of thinking, knowing that it would never be a possibility for you. Monsters liked to hide in creepy houses and nasty sewers. You looked around to see anything out of the ordinary while Dean went on about how there was a lack of progress. When you peeked into a narrow hallway, your flashlight reflected off something. You furrowed your brow as you moved slightly to take notice of a big clue. A very expensive one, from the sight of it, too.

It took only a second of you gaping at the pile of gold jewelry for the boys to notice and Dean to quickly act upon the sight. He didn’t waste a second before he was crouched down to the pile and took a few pieces in his grip to examine, pretending to make sure it was the real deal. You knew you and the boys were getting closer to finding this son of a bitch and, hopefully, those poor girls.

“Okay,” Dean agreed. “Maybe there are dragons here.”

“Wait, Dean, not now.” Sam said, stopping his brother from trying to grab some of the gold like you knew he wanted to do. The younger Winchester noticed something far more peculiar ahead for the three of you to examine. “Check this out.”

Sam headed up first to take a closer look at his discovery as you were about to follow behind, only you looked over at Dean, wondering what was taking him so long. You let out a sigh as you rolled your eyes for what felt like the hundredth time in the past day alone. Dean decided to pocket a few handful of the stuff to weigh down his pockets. Shaking your head, you quickly caught up with Sam to see what he found. While it wasn’t quite as glamorous as a pile full of gold objects, it was another step in the right direction.

Several lit candles were scattered around along with a few odd ends, what caught your attention was a mysterious looking book. You stepped forward and outstretched your free hand to grab ahold of the book. You quickly noticed right away the binding felt to be of leather. It seemed the dragon you were hunting wasn’t doing some light reading.

“A little arts-and-crafty for a giant bat, right?” You asked. You grimaced slightly at how weird the book felt, wondering what the hell it was made out of. As you nodded your head to Dean to put it into the duffel bag, your attention was quickly pulled away to an unfamiliar voice.

“Hello? Is someone there?”

The echoing female voice you heard and the plead for help made you realize that you and the boys were closer than you once expected. The three of you didn’t waste a second in figuring out the direction of where the voice was coming from before tracking it down. You and the boys quickly turned the corner and began heading up a small flight of stairs that lead to a narrow bridge across the way. You searched around the place, wondering where the girls were being held. It took one of them to speak up again before you and the boys found them, hidden underneath the grates of the sewer.

“Hey. It’s okay.” You reassured the group of girls as you dropped yourself to the ground. “We’re gonna get you out of here.”

“He’s coming back.” One of them warned you.

You looked over your shoulder to see when exactly that was as Sam grabbed got working when he grabbed a crowbar from the bag. He wedged it between an open spot and began trying to budge the grate open. As you looked back to the progress he was making, you didn’t realize that the dragon would be back so soon. It seemed he wasn’t happy at the sight of you and the boys freeing all his virgins that he meticulously snatched up.

You yelled out Sam’s name when your head snapped over to the side when you saw him go flying across the room. You looked to see what you supposed was this dragon, disguised as a man. You quickly reached out to grab the sword and pushed yourself to your feet, leaving Dean to free the woman as you pointed the dagged edge at the monster. You narrowed your eyes on him as you waited for him to try and attack you or Dean.

“Where do you think you’re gonna stick that, princess?” He asked.   
Your lips stretched into a smirk at your response, “Can’t say. Too many virgin ears.” You waited a moment as your grip around the handle of the sword tightened. WHen you noticed that he was about to make a move, you quickly swung the blade, managing to cut him against this forearm. It seemed even with the sword broken in half, it was still effective from the way the dragon hissed in pain. “Well, I’ll be damned.”

“Where’d you get that?” The dragon asked you, clutching his wounded arm that was starting to bleed from how deep you cut him.

“Comic-con.” You answered. Your eyes glanced down to his wounded arm that he was clutching. The sight of it made your lips stretch into a smirk at seeing this unfold for him. “If you think that booboo hurts, that was just a mild taste.”

You thought seeing him with his guard slightly down would have been the perfect opportunity to hit him with the money shot to end this once and for all. You lunged forward and attempted at stabbing him, but your confidence was sorely mistaken. The dragon took his good hand to grab you by the arm and yank you backwards, making your grip around the sword become loose, and slip out. You didn’t realize you lost the very thing to kill him before it was out of sight, landing underneath the grates.

You gritted your teeth and attempted to try and defend yourself by punching him with your free arm. But it seemed you were too slow. You felt yourself being roughly tossed backwards, making you land against the concrete and metal grates. It took you a second to regain your composure as you looked over to him. You quickly looked around for just about anything when you noticed that he was coming forward, and with a glowing orange hand that fit the lore of fire.

Before you could sustain any sort of burns, Sam was back on his feet. He crept up from behind and swung the crowbar to the back of the dragon’s head, making him stumble to the ground. It was the perfect opportunity for you to figure out where the hell that sword went. You quickly peered over the edge as Dean joined you in the search. The both of you stuck your arm into an opening in the grate and tried your hardest to somehow grab ahold of it.

“Come on!” You hissed in frustration.

You were just a few inches shy away from the handle while Dean had it just by his fingertips, but he wasn’t close enough to grab it. You weren’t giving up just yet. Dean tried to somehow lean forward so he could reach it better. Before he could make anymore progress, it seemed the dragon had a buddy. You quickly looked over your shoulder to see that another one grabbed Dean by the arm and yanked him into a fight, leaving you alone. You looked to see that the boys were caught up in a fight, leaving you to somehow grab this damn sword.

You always thought quick on your feet. When you looked to the railing and how it was just below where the sword was, you noticed that you might be small enough to fit through and somehow lean over the edge before grabbing it. There was a chance you might fall, but it was a risk you’d have to make. You inhaled a deep breath as you braced yourself for whatever sort of smell you were about to face to face with.

You grimaced as you squeezed yourself between two rusty pipes and leaned over the edge. You slowly shimmied yourself down as you leaned over the edge, getting closer to the sword. When you saw it was just a few feet away from your grip, you outstretched your arm, but you were still a few inches from it. You cursed at your parents for giving you short limbs as you once again began to push yourself lower down so you could finally seek victory. When you finally grabbed ahold of the sword, you quietly cheered in victory before you quickly pushed yourself back up to safety.

When you were back on your feet, you found yourself face to face with the same dragon that you had managed to cut. As if that wasn’t enough to make him realize you weren’t playing around. You swiftly took another swing and cut another part of his body, making him back away in pain. When he was at a safe distance, you quickly turned around, going after the one that was about to attack Dean. You lunged the sword right into the other dragon’s back and pulled swiftly out, watching as he dropped to the ground. Before you could give the same treatment to his friend, you suddenly felt a gush of wind. When you turned around, you realized that the dragon was gone, nowhere to be seen. 

\+ + +

Dean had never felt more like a little kid on Christmas until today. A duffel bag full of gold he could fit laid at his disposal on Bobby’s work space table. The dragon’s loss, his very expensive gain. He had been rifling through the belongings those things stole to find what he could pawn off to some extra cash. During his search he found a gold watch that looked to be a rolex, encrusted with tiny diamonds. It looked like it could have belonged to one of the girls the three of you rescued last night. Dean wondered if you might like the watch as a spontaneous gift. All though, knowing you, it would take you all of five seconds to realize where it came from. 

It was the the thought that counted. Dean couldn’t give you luxury gifts like this expensive watch or other sort of things most boyfriends would do for their significant others. As a hunter who lived life on the road and countless motel rooms, it was the smallest things that he could give you. And you cherished them all. He continued tinkering with the watch for the past ten minutes, trying to make sure the time was right on the thing. As he heard footsteps approaching, Dean broke his concentration away from the watch to see that it was his brother. 

“Hey, Sam. Ask me what time it is.” Dean said. His request made the younger Winchester look down to the gold watch that he’d been playing with. Sam chuckled at the sight of his brother greedily hovering over the pile of gold that he insisted on bringing back.

“Why don’t you cut to the chase and just roll in it?” Sam suggested, knowing well enough that’s what his brother probably wanted to do. 

“I rarely have wealth.” Dean said. He chuckled to himself as he broke out into a grin at the sight of all of this precious and very expensive gold, all for yours to do whatever you wanted with. 

Sam smiled slightly at the sight for a moment before he began to fade, knowing he wasn’t here to watch as his brother with money signs in his eye. The younger Winchester swallowed as he approached the empty stool across the work space. “Dean.” He spoke the older man’s name, deciding right now was the best time to discuss the elephant in the room between just the two of them. Right now it was tackling one person at a time, apologizing for the dick that he was over the past year and a half. “I am so…so sorry. I can’t even begin to say.” 

Dean glanced up from what he was holding and to his brother. He began to wonder what the young man would be apologizing for right now. Sam had only been “back” just a few short days. He hadn’t done anything out of the ordinary to cause a heartfelt apology. When Dean noticed that his brother had that guilty expression on his face, something wasn’t right here. “For what?”

The younger Winchester seemed pained just at the mere thought of having to say what he was told about. He let out a sigh and decided to hint at his crimes. “You know what.” 

It wasn’t hard to tell that Sam knew he’d been walking around a lot longer than what everyone had tried telling him. Sam must have been told the truth about everything. While you wouldn’t dare do such a thing, knowing how much you risked for Sam, there were a few other colors Dean could think of that would do it out of spite.

“Did Bobby…?” Dean wondered if that old man decided to be a complete dick because his life was in danger. Bobby knew that if he opened his mouth and started spilling all sorts of secrets, he would be putting two people he cared deeply for in danger. But it seemed the man hadn’t grown completely senile. Sam said that it was another friend, a particular angel who had been against this plan since day one. “Cas. Frigging child.”

“You should have told me.” Sam said.

“You weren’t supposed to know.” Dean argued with his little brother.

“What I did? To Bobby? To you? Of course I should know.” Sam said. He shook his head as he stared off into the junkyard of endless abandoned crushed cars, worthless to anyone, except for a piece of scrap to make something better again. He didn’t know if he felt like the crushed car, or the brand new one fixed with a different part that he felt like he didn’t deserve. “You shouldn’t have let Y/N do what she did.”

“Right. You honestly think I have the power to tell her what to do?” Dean asked. He scoffed as he looked over to the house in the far distance, where you remained as this private conversation continued on. “I didn’t like it either. But it was the only option we had going for us.”

“You could’ve found another way.” Sam muttered. 

“Sam, you don’t realize how badly your soul was. Cas said it felt like it was flayed to the nerve. If we shoved that thing back in you without a little padding, it would’ve killed you. That why Death put up the Great Wall of Y/N between you and the things you don’t remember.” Dean said, trying to explain to how serious this situation was. “Trust me when I say ‘Ignorance is bliss.'”

“All right. I understand what you’re trying to get at here. I’m thank for what Y/N did for me. I am. But it doesn’t change what I did. It only makes me want to set things right. I have to return the favor. ” Sam said. His brother let out a loud sigh as he turned his gaze away in frustration from how bullheaded he was on being good. “Or what I can, anyway.”

“Don’t go scratching at that thing, Sammy. I swear. I put on a band aid on you to stop the bleeding. It’s fixed far as I’m concerned. I’ve got too much on my plate right now. Can you please let it be for now?” Dean asked. He almost was pleading with the man on this matter now. Sam was ready to say that it didn’t matter, he would do the exact same thing if he were in position. When he looked at his brother, Sam realized something was wrong. “Let me guess. Cas didn’t tell you.”

“Tell me what?”

“That the bitch is still here.” 

Sam looked at his brother with a confused expression, wondering who Dean was trying to hint at without saying the name. Nobody from their past that posed a problem was here. Lucifer was in the cage. Crowley was dead. Cas told him about how it was the demon who had pulled him and you out of the cage, but “forgot” his soul. However, it wasn’t an accident at all. It was leverage Crowley used against the three of you to work for him to find this little place called Purgatory by hunting monsters so he could torture them. Yet, the King of Hell wasn’t posing a threat anymore because he was dead.

Cas killed the demon himself when he learned that Crowley couldn’t get Sam’s soul like he’d been promising for weeks. That’s why you ended up patching up a deal with Death himself to get his soul from the cage. When Cas said that, Sam remembered how he got so angry…how bad the consequences would be. Not just for him, but for you. 

Sam could feel his stomach tighten in nervousness at the conclusion he was jumping to before getting another clue to what really was going on here. He thought back the first moments when he first woke up. The good news you shared with him, how happy you seemed…like you thought what you were saying was the truth. Sam quickly realized you and him were in the same boat.

“She doesn’t know, does she?” Sam asked. He watched as his brother’s expression turned into a guilty one as he began to shake his head no to answer the question. Sam scoffed at what was happening here. "So you’ve been lying to Y/N about everything, too? Is that how you want to handle this situation? Keep us both in the dark?”

"Damn it, Sam. This is not a situation you can dictate.” Dean hissed. He felt himself snapping as he roughly slammed his hand against the table, making some of the contents jump from the force he used. He kept his voice to a whisper as his eyes darted around the junkyard, wondering if this situation was going to get worse. When he saw that the two of them were alone, Dean looked back to his brother to tell him the truth. “Y/N’s soul, it’s not like how it was when she went to the pit. It’s split in two. She’s part human, but part demon. It’s like there’s two different people in there. She had this whole split personality when she was working for Crowley. Didn’t even know about it.”

“And why can’t she?” Sam questioned his brother.

“Because this demon side—it’s nothing me or Cas has ever seen before. It’s like a parasite. Cas told me that this thing feeds off any sort of bad emotion it can get its hands on. So it can grow stronger.” Dean explained the situation to his little brother. Sam’s actions to do the right thing would have severe consequences he couldn’t go back from. “If we tell Y/N everything, sure, probably won’t kill her. But it would most likely turn her back into a demon. And I’m not gonna let that happen. That’s why I need you focused, Sammy. We got you back to normal. Now we need to return the favor for Y/N.”

Sam didn’t like the idea of being kept in the dark of what he did as a soulless man. Part of him felt like it was his duty as your best friend to tell you about your own vices. He thought your situation compared to his was the same. The both of you had been walking around for the past year and a half with a blindfold over your eyes, not having a single clue of what was going on. Sam thought he had been in the cage this entire year up until a few days ago. Only it was his soul that had been down there until it was returned by the help of Death himself after you made a deal to get the young man back to his old self.

During his time absent without a soul, he was an unrecognizable monster that caused mayhem and attempted to kill two people that he loved. His actions were terrible, something that would probably keep him up for a few weeks and keep his mind constantly riddled with guilt. But his guilt could be solved with some time, he could right some wrongs. Wounds heal, people forget about the nasty things they do to each other. Your situation was very different, and more complicated that Sam would understand in the moment.

You had spent this entire year and a half thinking that you were back to normal. That all of the hard work and sacrifice you put in was worth it. Sam knew if you found out that you were a half demon, it would hurt, but you would understand and try to find a way to get back to normal. The thing that would send you over the edge was what you did as a demon. Working for Crowley, torturing all those monsters. You didn’t do it just to get Sam’s soul back or because that was part of your deal with Crowley, because you also enjoyed it. You, the human part of you, would be crushed inside. To learn what you did as a demon would be the reason why you would turn into one. That’s why you couldn’t learn the truth.

Or so, that’s what the Winchesters thought. They were so worried about the truth they buried it by keeping secrets from you and pretending like everything was fine. The thing about the truth that the Winchester didn’t realize after all this time, that it’ll always come out. “The truth will set you free…” And that little black soul in your body was getting closer to freedom than it ever had before.

The boys were so caught up in trying to keep you from learning about the truth, because that’s what they thought would make this entire situation unravel. They didn’t once think that your action of selflessness would be your downfall. You didn’t realize how vulnerable you made yourself to your own worst enemy.

Death really didn’t care about three people that mangled and ruined the flow of the natural order time and time again. What he cared about was the big picture—finding Purgatory. It was the hot place everyone wanted, Heaven and Hell. All those souls…Death knew that someone else wanted it as well. So, he decided to invest in your demand. Giving a piece of your soul away was a win-win to him. Because he knew it would make you inferior to your demon side. Because whether it be the truth or time, the bitch would gain her freedom like she wanted.

You felt your lips stretch into a smirk as you stared at yourself in the mirror; the reflection that was staring back at you looked almost the same as your human self, but it was the black eyes that disguised that you were in control. And you were growing stronger with each passing day.

You were the demon side that had been stuck inside this body for the past three decades. There were moments and long periods of time that you were allowed to come out until you were shoved back inside. But this was the moment where you had more control than you ever had before. You could come out when you wanted. All though it was only for a minute or so, it was better than nothing. You could work with it. You were growing power over this body since your human self decided to pawn off a bit of your soul for Sammy. 

“Y/N?” Knocking on the bathroom door and Bobby’s muffled voice broke your concentration away from the mirror. You blinked, making your eyes and personality go back to normal, just like that. You quickly reached out and opened the door to see the older hunter standing in the hall with a rather peculiar expression. You gave him a smile, saying how you were just finishing up your business. “Come on. There’s something I think you and the boys ought to see.”

You and Bobby headed ot the library to join the brothers after he pulled them inside from the junkyard to discuss the translations from the book you found in the sewers. You crossed your arms over your chest as you examined the book and tried to translate the language, hoping you could figure out what it was so you could understand the importance of the book. Bobby took a seat at his desk and got to explaining what he brought all of you here for.

“Now, as near as I can figure it, this dates back around the fourteenth century.” Bobby said. You asked him what language it might be in, his reply made you quickly understand how much of a headache this was going to be. “Da Vinci Code. Real obscure Latinate.”

“Guess four years of high school Latin isn’t gonna help much.” You said.

“Gonna take me my golden years to translate it all.” Bobby said. You and Sam would help much as you could with the translations if the man got stuck. You reached out an arm to flip through the contents of the book, slightly grimacing from how the pages felt against your skin. Bobby took notice of your reaction. “Oh, and, uh, FYI…that ain’t paper.”

“What is it, then?” You asked,

“It’s human skin.” Bobby said. You quickly drew back your arm as you quickly wiped your palms down your jeans acting as if that would help erase the leather like feeling now burned in your memory. You shuddered and crossed your arms over your chest again, deciding you would look and not touch. “Okay. I’m fairly clear on this first bit. It basically describes this place. It’s like the backside of your worst nightmares. It’s all blood and bone and darkness. Filled with the bodies and souls of all things hungry, sharp and nasty.”

You furrowed your brow from the cryptic words, “Monsters?”

“It’s monster land. According to this, it goes by many names, most of which I can’t pronounce, bu I’m thinking you know purgatory.” Bobby explained. You nodded your head slowly as you felt yourself biting your bottom lip slightly. A place where the freaks go to die. And from the sounds of it, it wasn’t sweet as Heaven. And worse than Hell.

Awesome. Well, that is good to know.” Dean muttered. He decided to help himself to a glass of whiskey when he grabbed a half-full bottle from Bobby’s desk so he could pour himself a drink and sit down on the couch. “So you’re saying that these dragon freaks were squatting in the sewers and reading tone poems about purgatory?”

“Oh, no, no, no. They’re reading an instruction manual.” Bobby said, clarifying the situation. “If you’re nuts enough to want access to a place that gnarly, this book will show you how to open a door.”

“Door to Purgatory. I know a demon who would have loved to have known about that.” Dean said. Good old Crowley. He would have done just about anything to get his hands on that piece of paper. Now that you had it, maybe you could destroy it since you stole the book from those dragons. “So, how do you open the door?”

“Ask Cloverfield. I’m pretty sure he’s got that page.” Bobby flipped back a few of the pages. You noticed there was a clear indication that someone ripped out the thing. You let out a breath from what kind of trouble that could mean for all of you. “It gets worse. This ain’t talking about how to take a vacation over there. This is about opening a door to let something in.”

“Bring something here?” Sam asked. “What?”

“I’m working on it.” Bobby said.

You found yourself gritting your teeth, “Could you give us something?”

“I got a name.” Bobby said. You raised your brow, wondering what it was. Only to figure out that it was another cryptic clue that didn’t lead you into figuring out what the hell was going on with this world anymore. “Mother.”

“Mother of what?” Sam questioned the older hunter. “Mother of dragons?”

“I wish. It says it a few times here.” Bobby said, giving you the only clue that he had left. And from the sounds of it, what they were about to let in wasn’t something you’ve ever seen before in in your lifetime. “Mother of all.”

You weren’t the type of person who liked to drink in the middle of the afternoon or on an empty stomach, for that matter. From the information that Bobby was telling you, you found yourself reaching for that bottle of whiskey and a clean glass meant for you after you politely declined a drink earlier today. You poured yourself a hefty drink and, without hesitating, you downed it in the matter of seconds. You winched from the slight burn that you felt as the whiskey went down. You had just got done putting something back in the ground.

You let out a sigh and shut your eyes when you felt the alcohol hit your system as the room began to spin slightly around you. Maybe it was caused by the thought of whatever this kind of situation you might be dealing with in the near future.

“Oy vey.” You muttered underneath your breath.


	10. Unforgiven/Mannequin Three: The Reckoning

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I did something a little different for these next two episodes. I mashed them together for the hell of it. Be warned: There is a little barely there smut. I've put it italics for those who want to skip over it.

“For the last time, I feel perfectly fin—“   
  
You tried to finish your excuse that you felt fine. You were perfectly healthy enough to walk out Bobby’s front door and start looking for another case to keep you and the boys busy. What you had was just a sniffle, the common cold that would pass in a week or so. Before you could try and get the lie straight out, forcing each word as it made you psychically flinch from discomfort from the sore throat you had since last night. You knew you were slowly losing your act when the next thing that came out of your mouth was a coughing fit that felt worse than it sounded to the Winchester brothers.    
  
What you had was one of those rough, raspy sounding coughs that made the throbbing pain in your throat grow even more unbearable. A glass of water from the tap provided by a very concerned Sean rescued you from nearly hacking up a lung. You managed to compose yourself long enough to prove to the boys that what just happened was a simple tickle in your throat.   
  
“Like I said,” You tried once again to speak your excuse, physically flinching in pain when you attempted to swallow down another sip of the cold drink. “I’m perfectly—”   
  
Before you could finish that little white lie, you were cut off again by another symptom of yours that couldn’t be hidden. You outstretched your free arm and shoved your face into the crook of your elbow when you felt a sneeze come out of nowhere. You quietly groaned when you felt the pressure in your head grow worse for a moment at the sneeze. Dean didn’t miss a beat when he handed you a tissue from the box you bought in town yesterday when you were becoming tired of the endless search to find something to wipe your nose with. You mumbled a thank you as you wiped your runny nose and sniffled a few times.   
  
An idiot could tell just by the way you were looked that you must have contracted something nasty, like the flu. Your body ached, your head felt like it was about five seconds away from exploding from the front pressure against your eyes. A simple touch would feel that your skin felt like it was on fire. But you were complaining that you were freezing cold in your most heaviest sweater you could find. You hadn’t said anything, hoping that it really was just some cold you could deal with while you and the boys headed back on the road.   
  
Sam had gotten a text just an hour ago with some strange coordinates that lead to some town in Rhode Island. It took a quick search to see that three women had disappeared into thin air. You and the boys thought that it was a hunter in need of some help. Any if this was something big, it meant all hands were needed on deck. You couldn’t afford a sick day, you had too much to deal with right now. From this new hunt that fell in your lap to the Mother of All business that seemed to have come out of nowhere. Whatever this was, you could handle it while you recuperated in a motel room while handling research and the boys did the groundwork.   
  
As you pushed yourself up to your feet, you suddenly regretting going so fast. Your vision turned a bit blurry as the entire room around you seemed to float underneath your feet and the contents around it spinned. Sam grabbed the drink from your hand before it could fall as Dean steadied you back down to the couch. He flinched slightly when he touched your skin.   
  
“God, Y/N,” Dean noticed from your touch alone that something was wrong. He ignored your protests that you were capable of standing on your own feet without his help. You contradicted yourself when you looked almost relieved to be off your feet after attempting to stand. You shut your eyes for a moment to catch your breath as Dean sat beside you. You felt his palm rest against your forehead to feel your temperature. “You’re burning up.”   
  
“No, I’m not. I’m freezing.” You complained as you wrapped your arms over your body. You crawled over to the right side of the couch as you got yourself comfortable. You opened your eyes to see two pairs of concerned ones staring in your direction. Sniffling once again, you managed to get out that lie without an interruption. “Guys, seriously. I’m fine.”   
  
“Really? ‘Cause right now your skin feels like I could crack an egg on it and make us some breakfast.” Dean said. You rolled your eyes as at his remark. He fell silent for a moment when he began to think to himself. There was a possible case from a mystery caller, you were sick like a dog. Dean looked over to his little brother. “You know, man, maybe we should just leave this one. Lay low for a little while until Y/N feels better.”   
  
“Guys. Seriously. I’m fine—”   
  
“Stop. Will you? You look terrible. No offense.” Sam cut you off from hearing the excuse you had been saying over and over again. You sniffled as you wiped your nose when you felt it starting to run again. You mumbled a sarcastic thank you to the man. “Y/N can come with. She can sit this one out. It wouldn’t hurt to see what this is all about.”   
  
“You got mysterious coordinates from a mysterious Mr. X, leading us to a mysterious town? That doesn’t throw up red flags to you?” Dean questioned his little brother’s judgement. Truth be told, he wanted his brother on lockdown. Sam admitted just a few short days ago that he was told the truth by Cas. He knew that he couldn’t keep the man from hunting for long. And while he would have been fine with another hunt, Dean found himself skeptical when one of them fell into their lap by a stranger he might not have ever met.   
  
“Who knows how many hunters Y/N and I met working with the Campbells.” Sam said. You had looked at the number when Sam got the text earlier today, but it rang no memory of who it might belong to. “Whoever sent this, it doesn’t matter. We can’t ignore a bunch of missing girls.”   
  
“Okay. We’ll put Sneezy up in a motel and check it out. But if things get squirrely, we dump out, okay?” Dean warned his brother. Sam put his hands up in agreement, not wanting to start an argument before the three of you could hit the road. “All right. We’ll head out soon as we tell Bobby the plan.”   
  
“Tell me what?”   
  
You and the boys looked over to see that Bobby was standing in the doorway of the library. He must have just returned from his supply run into town and heard the conversation. You coughed once again before you spoke up. “Sam got coordinates to some town in Rhode Island from a mystery number.“ You explained to the man. "The boys and I are gonna check it out. Apparently three women disappeared out of thin air. You know, the usual.”   
  
“I don’t think you’re gonna be much help for anyone looking like Death himself.“ Bobby said. You rolled your eyes from his remark as you crossed your arms tighter around your body, trying to find warmth as a shiver ran through your body. "It doesn’t take an idjit to see that you got the flu, Y/N. There ain’t no way you’re saving anyone while you’re busy coughing up a lung.”   
  
“She’s not. We’re throwing her in a motel. Sam and I are gonna scope out the place to see if it’s worth sticking around.” Dean informed the older hunter. He pushed himself up to his feet as he began thinking of the last minute packing him and his brother needed to do. “We’ll head out in fifteen minutes. Should give you enough time to get to the Impala.”   
  
"Do you think it’s a good idea?”   
  
“What is?”   
  
“Dragging Y/N out like this.” Bobby said. He gestured out an arm to you, as if he was trying to subtly hint at an offer he was trying to make. The boys looked at one another, wondering if the older hunter was warning them to dodge this case and used you as an excuse. The three of you never liked hounding Bobby longer than you had to. The man rolled his eyes, deciding to come right out with an offer. “I don’t mind looking after her. Until she feels better.”   
  
“What? No, Bobby.” You shook your head at his generous offer that you had to refuse out of sheer guilt from the numerous times you had before. You lost count how many nights you spent here over the years crashing on his couch and drinking his beer. You could easily walk to the Impala and go to sleep in the backseat until you got to a motel. Slowly, you began to push yourself up to a sitting position before working your way up to a standing position, ignoring the dizzy spell that came over you. "You really don't—”   
  
You could protest all you want and try to suggest other options to not intervene on the man, but Bobby wasn’t going to hear it. He was mostly going to be sticking around and try to continue on translating more of the book you found while working the dragon hunt. The boys looked a little bit relieved at the idea of you stay here and not being dragged all over the place.   
  
You dropped yourself back down to the couch and shut your eyes, feeling a bit happy yourself at the idea of not having to move a single inch. You slowly began to shut your eyes for just a minute when you were hit with exhaustion. You could hear the boys talking to Bobby, however, the conversation drifted away from you as sleep consumed you.   
  
\+ + +   
  
The boys were out on the road about fifteen minutes after you passed out on the couch, curled up in the corner of the couch with no sign of waking up anytime soon. It would be about a full day’s drive until they would hit Rhode Island. It was about a full day’s drive from South Dakota to Rhode Island. Sam and Dean got into their respectable spots in the Impala before getting started on their journey. Most of the ride felt normal, small talk here and there, classic rock to ease the silence over the next handful of hours. It was the middle of the night when they were coming closer to the welcoming sign of the town in Rhode Island.   
  
“You know, I just thought of something.” Dean broke the silence between him and his brother after two hours. He reached out a hand and lowered the volume to the radio station. “This is the first case we’re doing without Y/N in years.”   
  
In the life of hunting, you and the boys spent practically every waking moment with each other, with the occasional nasty fight or death that seperated the three of you for a short while before picking things back up. You and Sam worked together on cases while Dean was playing house, Sam and Dean weren’t strangers to hunting together. But that felt like ages ago. For the past five years it’s been you and them, saving lives and taking down the bad guy. Now the boys were on their own, no one in the backseat to sass them or help Sam with the research. Sam couldn’t help but think how weird it was going to be as he looked out the window when he saw the sign to the town pass him by.   
  
“Welcome to Bristol Rhode Island: Where Memories Are Made”   
  
Sam thought to himself for a moment about how cheesy the yellow octopus and the overall pirate theme was kind of cheesy. He looked away as he turned his gaze over to his brother. But he found himself suddenly entranced with a sense of haunting deja vu. He was bombarded with different images—the face of Samuel, his grandfather in the driver’s seat, you in the back with a sour look on your face. And the sign again. Sam blinked when the feeling came and went, leaving him feeling…haunted, unsure of what just happened to him.   
  
“You okay?” Dean’s voice broke the man from his concentration out the window. Sam turned his head to his brother to see he was staring at him with a concerned look. The younger Winchester nodded his head, mumbling that he was good. “You sure?”   
  
“Yeah.” Sam mumbled. “I’m good.”   
  
\+ + +   
  
You woke up a few hours later with the back of your shirt sticking to your skin and a blanket over your body. You began to slowly figure out your surroundings of what happened as you slowly pushed yourself up to a sitting position. Your muscles felt stiff from the way you had accidentally fallen asleep. Someone had graciously covered you with a blanket after you complained enough times that you felt cold. Now you were starting to feel the effects of your fever. You stretched slightly as you let out a yawn. You looked over to the window to see that it was pitch black outside. It was the middle of the afternoon when the boys had left. You must have slept for longer than you anticipated.   
  
You tossed off the blanket from your body and began to slowly gain the energy to push yourself up to your feet. You felt more balanced than you had earlier today,  but you still felt a little dizzy, making you cautious to take your time.. You slowly walked out of the library and began your search for Bobby. You furrowed your brow slightly when you heard voices coming from the kitchen. You listened for a moment to hear a female voice echo from the other room. Did Bobby have company that you didn’t know of come over?   
  
You headed into the room to see that Bobby sitting at the table with his feet kicked up on the table and eating a late dinner while enjoying some TV. You raised your brow when you heard multiple voices from the TV as you spotted a half-full glass of milk. LIstening to what he was intently watching, it was from an old actress that you remembered watching when you were in middle school and early years of high school as well. Only with this new day in age, she had gotten lucky, being given her own reality show to broadcast her life with her husband.   
  
“Wow. I would have never pegged you as a reality show kind of guy.” Your voice broke Bobby’s concentration away from the TV. Your lips stretched into a faint smile when his gaze was drawn up to you. You expected him to flumble to turn the channel or pretend that he wasn’t invested in what he was watching. Instead Bobby shrugged his shoulders and nodded his head. “Are you seriously watching…” You pushed yourself up from the wall you were leaning against and walked over to the table to see for yourself. "’Tori and Dean?’”   
  
“Yeah.” Bobby said. “Never miss an episode.”   
  
“Seriously? Huh. I,” You bit your bottom lip, trying your hardest to contain a laugh from what the man had admitted without shame. “I’m a little surprised.“   
  
"What surprises me is that Dean didn’t open his big mouth and tell you when he found out after he got hit with that truth spell. I’m a huge fan. The girl’s got talent.” Bobby said. You eased yourself down to a seat across the table from him. You watched for a minute or so as the episode carried on, shengaings and all for the Spelling family. Bobby set down his plate and pushed himself up to a standing position as he headed for the stove. “Went back into town while you were sleeping. Grabbed you a few things. Cough medicine, some soup. You should eat.”   
  
"Yeah. I can fix it myself—” You made the mistake of offering to fend for yourself as you quickly pushed yourself up to your feet, which turned out to be a mistake. You plopped back down not a second later when you felt gravity work against you. Bobby shook his head at how polite you were acting around him. “You know what? That sounds good. Thanks, Bobby.”   
  
It was a few minutes of silence as Bobby worked on heating up some canned soup before delivering up a piping hot bowl and a clean spoon. You gave him a smile of appreciation as you settled the contents down and Bobby sat at his spot at the table.   
  
“How long do you think those idjits will last before they’re calling for help?“ Bobby wondered. You looked up from your spoon as you tried blowing on the soup so it could cool down.   
  
Your lips stretched into a slight smirk, “I’ll give them a day. Dalf and a half.”     
  
The both of you fell into silence as you turned your attention to the TV, watching the rest of the episode and enjoying your dinner. You realized that this was the first time Sam and Dean were alone on a case without you. There was one time you had worked one on your own. The boys had gotten the brilliant idea of getting thrown in prison to help an old friend of John’s. Only it resulted in you pulling most of the weight and saving the day. It was a lot of fun, but it made you appreciate the boys and their own abilities.   
  
You pulled out your phone and quickly sent a text to Dean, jokingly wishing him and his little brother luck if the case might have been something after all. As you settled down your phone to the table, another thought crossed your mind. This was the first time you and Bobby would be spending time alone. You had known Bobby since you started hunting, which was going on over five years now. He had seen you at your very worst, and at your inbetweens. For some reason, when he offered to help look after you while the boys hunted, it made you feel a bit like a burden.   
  
"If I didn’t want you here, I wouldn’t have offered.” Bobby’s voice broke you out of your thoughts. You quickly looked over at the older man, a bit taken back when he spoke of the thing that was bothering you. “I don’t mind, Y/N. I’ve been looking after the boys since John was hunting. Unlike those two, you’re not a pain in my ass.”   
  
“Thanks, Bobby.” You said, giving the man a genuine smile from everything that he was doing.   
  
“Anytime, kid.” Bobby mumbled. He got himself comfortable in his chair as he got ready to finish his drink. You pushed yourself up to your feet and put your dirty dishes in the sink. As you got ready to exit the kitchen and switch out of your slightly damp shirt from sweating, you stopped in your tracks when you heard Bobby’s voice call out from behind. “If I were you, I’d take some of that medicine.”   
  
You scoffed as you felt yourself smiling in amusement from what he told you to do. You turned around and headed to the counter where you spotted a crinkled up plastic bag. You pulled out the bottle of cough medicine and gave yourself a shot of the nasty stuff that made you wince. The taste bringing you back to your childhood and how you nearly fought your mother to avoid tasting the childhood artificial grape flavor that haunted you to this very day. But this stuff would surly knock you out for the rest of the night.   
  
“Night, Bobby.” You called out to the man as you made your way back to the library where Dean had put your duffel bag full of clothes so you could change and sleep. The medicine would be hitting you in the next few minutes, making that ratty old couch feel like a cloud of wonder.   
  
“Night, kid.” Bobby said. You looked over your shoulder as you exited the kitchen, seeing the man was engrossed in his show, making him forget all about you for the rest of the hour.

  


\+ + +

  


The next afternoon the boys were settled in some abandoned house in the outskirts of town and gathered as much detail as they could find on the missing women. They decided to grab some lunch and discuss the information before proposing a possible theory to what was going on here. Dean Dean flipped through the missing persons’ flyers to see what they were working with. He became familiar with their faces and made a mental note if they were to see them again. He went to the last flyer and came across another smiling woman in the photograph her family had provided. He turned this particular around to show his little brother, wondering if he was thinking the same thing as he was from the sight of the woman.   
  
“Well, freak’s got a type—brunettes. Whoa, wait a minute.” Dean mumbled to himself. He had been observing the missing person reports and made a possible connection with all the women. They all had the same hair color, a monster with a fetish. It sure made the job a bit easier.  He was at the last flyer when he came across a woman who was smiling for the camera. She seemed innocent enough. Sam raised his brow, not sure what was getting his brother so excited. “This one’s got a little bit of a wild side. It’s all in the eyes, Sam.”   
  
“Uh-huh. Since Y/N’s not here to say it, I’ll gladly do the honors on her behalf. You know you’re a pig, right?” Sam asked his brother, but it sounded more like a statement. Dean scoffed at the insult as he put the woman’s missing flyer on top of the pile to examine further. Maybe it was to let his gaze linger longer on her more than average prettiness. “You’ve got a sick girlfriend back home and you’re ogling at another woman. Who’s probably in danger. Or dead.”   
  
“Relax, Sammy. I’m merely making an observation. Besides, I’ve been texting Y/N all morning and talked to Bobby after. She’s fine. Drugged up on cough medicine, but fine.” Dean said. Truth be told, he was missing you every second that passed. He was happy that you were in good hands and not alone in a motel room. But he would have also liked to have your help on this case. “Since Nancy Drew’s taking a sick day, did you find anything on the victims?”   
  
“Aside from your deep insight, these women have nothing in common. Different jobs, different friends, different everything.” Sam explained to his brother what he found from the research he did last night. “So, what’s the connection?”   
  
“You figure that out.” Dean said. “I’m hitting the poop deck.”   
  
Sam furrowed his brow slightly, thinking his brother was sharing a little too much information. Dean pointed a neon red sign above a narrow hallway with the words written to insinuate the bathroom. Sam rolled his eyes as his brother headed off when nature called. He could imagine you sitting next to him, laughing quietly while you mumbled how ridiculous he could be. It didn’t help that the both of them chose a pirate theme restaurant with waiters dressed in tacky uniforms and decenet food. When his brother left, Sam reached out and picked up the missing persons’ flyer again. He found himself staring at the woman…a sense of familiarity washed over him when he stared at her smiling expression. Again.   
  
“Agent Roark?” A female voice made Sam break his concentration away from the flyer to see there was someone standing next to the table. A smiling brunette greeted him by a familiar fake name he’d used on occasions. Sam began wondering who the hell she was, and how she knew his name. “It’s so good to see you again.”   
  
“It is?” Sam asked, smiling slightly as he pretended to think of who she could be.   
  
“Oh, you remember my husband. Don.” The woman introduced her husband, who stood behind her with a look of slight displeasure to be stopped. He forced a smile when Sam turned his gaze toward him and mumbled a polite hello. She smiled herself as she looked around the restaurant and stepped forward to Sam to continue this conversation more a little more privately. “So you’re back because it started again, right? The disappearances?”   
  
Sam had never felt more confused and a little bit more concerned at what was going on here. Ever since he came into town, lead here by a stranger, he presumed he had never been to this place before. But the overwhelming feeling of deja vu told him different. It was too strong of a sense to ignore. And as a hunter, he was taught to always trust his instincts. Sam decided to play along, wondering what else he could learn from the woman.   
  
“Uh, yeah. Yeah, right.” He said, nodding his head. Quick on his feet, he continued on the conversation without missing a beat. “So if either of you two hear anything, please let me know.”   
  
“Where’s your partners?” She asked. Her smile grew a bit wider while Sam fell silent from her question. He began wondering who the hell she was talking about. “The big, bald guy? And the woman? God, what were their names…Agent Wynand and Agent Freedmen.“   
  
“Agent Freedman is out on sick leave. Nasty flu. Couldn’t make it. And Agent Wynand is taking a bit of personal time off. Sex rehab.” Dean said. He came back from his trip to the bathroom to step into the conversation, making up a lie that sounded good to him. “Yeah, you’ve heard of plushies, right?”   
  
“This is, uh,” Sam said, forced a smile from his brother’s lie that wasn’t the least bit funny. He kept on smiling as he pretended like everything was perfectly normal. "This is my new partner.”   
  
“Hi. Pleasure.” Dean greeted the woman first with a handshake and a smile before returning the gesture to her solomon husband. His trip to the bathroom was more interesting than he thought it was. And it wasn’t a pretty blonde that caught his eye on the way back. “Uh, so, agent, we should…”   
  
“Of course. You two must be busy. Shame to hear about Agent Freedman.” The woman said. Her lips stretched into a frown at hearing the news of your absence, but it was the slight twinkle in her eyes that told a different emotion. She looked pleased, even overjoyed at the fact that you weren’t here. It was of a jealous woman finally getting what she wanted. The competition was out of the way. “Nice chatting with you, Agent Roark.”   
  
The woman began walking her way to across the other side of the restaurant to get a table, her husband following suit. As she passed Sam, he felt her hand subtly rest against his shoulder and lightly work its way down his arm. It was an intimate, personal touch you wouldn’t do with a stranger. She looked down at him right as she passed him by, and without her husband noticing, she gave him a playful wink before disappearing from sight.   
  
Sam let out a breath and looked straight forward when she disappeared from his sight. He tried to process what that whole ordeal was about and figure out the real reason why he had been here before with you and his grandfather he never remembered meeting. His mind wandered away from all those important questions for a moment and to the not so subtle goodbye the woman gave him. Sam wanted to know what he did in the year he went as soulless. But he didn’t realize the memories of hell weren’t going to be the worst of it. Remembering was going to cause more trouble than it might have been worth it.   
  
_ You pushed yourself up to your feet as you looked around the other tables surrounding you. The other dinner guests were occupied with their food and enjoying conversations. Sam watched as you walked passed him, your hand grazing over his shoulder as you moved your fingers down his jacket covered arm. You stopped for a moment as you looked down at him, giving him a look that he was all too familiar with. He felt his lips stretch into a smirk as you disappeared into the restaurant’s bathroom. Sam waited a moment until he got up from his seat and followed behind.   
  
Sam walked into a dimly lit hallway, abandoned by any one, giving the both of you privacy. Even if someone came around, he didn’t really care. Sam opened up the door to the little bathroom and was greeted with a sight that made his lips stretch even farther. You were leaning against the sink with your back to the mirror, your fingers were holding up something in a gold foil.   
  
“I thought brunettes were your type. But married women? My, my.” You said, shaking your head from his choices of women he’d been enjoying himself with from this hunt alone. You showed no sort of judgement, you didn’t care who the hell he slept with. Long as he was here when you wanted him. That was your deal. He could do whatever he wanted with you. Rough, slow. Long as he got you off in the end. And made you forget. “Safety first. Wouldn’t want me cat—”   
  
You were trying to be sly with him at what the both of you were about to do. Before you could finish your sentence, you quickly felt your backside press harder against the sink at when Sam went for it. You opened your mouth as you let out a moan, muffled by Sam’s lips against yours. He roughly kissed you the way he’d been wanting to ever since you started to send all those texts to him. All those promises he was going to make you keep.   
  
You felt his hands quickly grab ahold of your thighs and hoisted you up to his height. Your arms quickly locked around his neck so you wouldn’t fall as he threw you on top of the sink. The both of you continued kissing as his hands remained on your thighs for a moment before they moved up, slowly pushing up the fabric of your skirt, discovering from touch that you were wearing his favorite panties. One layer separating from what he really wanted. He grabbed a handful of your ass and pushed you forward slightly against the glass more, continuing to kiss you. You stopped for a moment as you let out a breathy giggle when he snapped at the elastic waistband. He knew it would be a matter of seconds until these would be off.   
  
“You want it?” Sam asked you in a low tone. You nodded your head as you leaned yourself against the cold glass, your hands fumbled as you quickly began to yank at his tie while his fingers began to undo the buttons to your shirt. If you could see yourself in the reflection of the mirror, you would see yourself with desperation and lust in your eyes. Swollen lips and shallow breathing, a look that once was only seen by one man. Now you were all Sam’s. His little pet, the prey that He was ready to devour. “Bet you never did this with Dean, huh? Sneak off in the middle of dinner so he could screw your brains out nice and good?”   
  
“No.” You mewled in pleasure. You opened your mouth, not wanting to hear a name like that again, but the command quickly disappeared, replaced with a gasp. You felt Sam’s hand move away from your thighs and to more of an intimate place. He yanked the cups of your bra down, exposing yourself more to him and the cold air. “Sam—”   
  
“Shh.” Sam whispered against your lips. He continued to kiss you as the both of you worked to the main event of the reason why you were here. Your panties fell to the ground as Sam undid his belt before his pants fell to his knees. He placed one hand against the mirror and the other around your ass when he entered you. “You’re a dirty little girl, Y/N. You’re mine…all mine.” _   
  
“…Sam? Dude!”   
  
Dean’s voice broke the younger Winchester out of his personal thoughts that kept him in a trace. His memories of a life lived he wasn’t supposed to know about. Sam’s eyes quickly darter to his older brother, who stood above him with a confused look. Sam wasn’t the type of person to blush in situations like this or become red in the face. His entire life he was the master of the poker face. Now, staring at a man like Dean, someone who would brutally end anyone that even looked at you the wrong way, he suddenly felt afraid for his life. He swallowed as he tried to look at something else for a moment to try and gather his thoughts.   
  
Sam once had a dream about Bela Talbot, a woman with a painful past and a cold personality to match her cold heart. He wouldn’t admit that he found her easy on the eyes. If you took away the cold exterior and left her with just her looks—and that accent—Sam found his mind wandering to places that weren’t for the faint of heart. But that was a dream…what the younger Winchester went through. It felt like a memory. A very vivid one that was supposed to be hidden from him.   
  
“What was that?” Dean’s question made the man freeze in his spot. Sam didn’t feel any sort of relief when he pointed two fingers to his eyes in gesturing to the woman who had a quick chat before leaving. “I’ve seen that look plenty times before. She just cougar-eyed you.”   
  
“I think Y/N and I have worked a case in this town.” Sam admitted. He couldn’t shake the feeling all of a sudden that he’d seen this woman before. And from the parting glance she’d given him, he had a feeling something was going on here. “Samuel, too.”   
  
Dean had come back to the table with some evidence. He raised his brow as he placed down a polaroid picture. Sam reached out and snatched it up from the table. He examined it to see that it was some guy smiling and wearing a pirate’s hat. There wasn’t much to it this thing, until his eyes wandered to a broody face in the background. Sam swallowed when he realized that it was his. He dropped the picture to the table like it suddenly was a viale thing. It was the grim reality telling him that all the little visions that he’d been having since arriving into town were real.   
  
\+ + +   
  
The Winchester boys were taught a valuable lesson from their father about hunting: You never swing back in town you worked a job for a visit. When a hunter left a town, they might have left it with one less monster preying on the innocent. But the journey to success was sloppy. In order to complete a hunt successfully, and depending on what a hunter was trying to take down, there was certain obstacles one would face at the end of it all. Casualties of bystanders that got in the way, dead bodies or missing people with ends that nobody will truly understand. And if one did their job right, they might have a couple laws broken. But the brothers were also taught another important lesson. Finish what you started.   
  
Sam slowly realized through fragments of memories that were beginning to come back to him and old faces that remembered him that he’d been here before. Dean was adamant on tossing this hunt to someone else and head back, afraid that if his brother peered too much into the past, it would lead to unforeseen consequences. But Sam, with that pesky soul of his, felt that it was his responsibility to find out what he couldn’t catch. Because for all those people who went missing or died after they decided to skip town, Sam knew their blood would be on his hands.   
  
Much as the younger Winchester wanted to do the right thing, he ran into a few familiar faces that he couldn’t remember, but they sure did from the lasting impression. From a deputy Sam had bashed his skull after the younger Winchester tried escaping town with drying blood on his clothes from his way of saving the day. Sam tried his hardest to explain that he had no idea what his old self did, but, of course, the truth didn’t work.   
  
It landed with him being thrown in jail and meeting a woman who had met him before. She knew exactly who he was and what he really did. Her name was Brenna with a missing husband who also happened to be the sheriff of this town. She had questions of her own. Most of them were about the whereabouts of her husband, as Sam was the last person to be seen with him last year before he skipped town. Despite the bad blood kept between them, she listened to what Sam had to say while he was in the jail cell, and after a while, believed the amnesia story Sam had told her as the truth. She let him out and diverted a story that lead him into being a fugitive. Dean had a field day with rubbing his brother’s nose in the mess he made.   
  
Sam dug deep as he could into the past of things and figure out what the hell was going on here while pieces of the past began to settle into place. It seemed his soulless self was a piece of work with an appetite for the ladies. And a sloppy hunter, too. The more he worked on the hunt, more of the past came back to him. Sam’s mind was still fixated on what came back to him in the restaurant. He was hesitant to pick up the phone and have the conversation with you. He knew it would be the right thing to do, calling you up in attempt at trying to figure out if you could remember anything concrete from the hunt. But he couldn’t.   
  
His nerves were getting the best of him. Sam tried to pretend like nothing happened. He tried to think that a few of his memories were trying to play tricks with him. He couldn’t face the reality of what his mind was trying to tell him. That he used an innocent man as bait, that he willingly slept with his big brother’s girlfriend…his best friend for long as he could remember. It seemed out of character for him to do such a thing without knowing the reason why. He’d done a lot of things that were out of character for him while he was soulless. Sam was on the righteous path of doing things right what his old self screwed up.   
  
It was one phone call. Sam needed to know if you remembered anything useful from the hunt to help figure out what was causing all these disappearances. He was going to continue on acting like nothing happened, for the greater good of things. He swallowed his fear and made the call.   
  
“Hello? That you, Sam?”   
  
You answered the phone after letting it ring three or four times. From the monotone pitch of your voice over the line, you had emerged from a deep slumber after being woken up from his call. You had been glued to the couch over the past few days since the boys left. You hadn’t done much besides nibble on of a dry piece of toast Bobby gave you after he checked on you to make sure that you hadn’t died on his watch. You fought your way out of a cocoon of blankets that made you break out even more into a sweat.   
  
Sam’s call couldn’t have come at a worse time than this. You sat up right and pulled at the back of your shirt, trying to stop it from clinging to your skin, grimacing at the realization you would need to move your aching body and change. Your fever spiked to its highest and the cough medicine you took a few hours ago was still swimming around in your system. Before he called your dreams were filled with all sorts of hazy dreams. Or were they memories? You leaned against the couch and shut your eyes when the room began to almost float.   
  
“Yeah, it’s me.” Sam said. He spoke up after what felt like a minute of silence. You weren’t concentrating all that much on how the conversation was going. You shut your eyes and listened to your surroundings, the house was eerily silent for some reason. You turned your head slightly to the side and opened one of your eyes to see there was a note taped to the desk. You made out a word of library and afternoon from Bobby. “Is it a good time to talk?”   
  
“Mmm. Is it ever?” You asked him. You found yourself listening to the sound of his voice. You sit up slightly and become worried. Much as you could in the state you were in. “What’s wrong?”   
  
“It’s this hunt we’re dealing with. I’m pretty sure we’ve been here before. When I was soulless.” Sam explained to you. You nodded your head, acting as if he was sitting right next to you. “The reason why I’m calling is because I need your help. Do you remember anything about this? What we were hunting at the time?”   
  
Sam gave you a bit of a refresher to what was going down. He told you about the five men that disappeared before and the missing sheriff that lead him in with to spending a few hours in jail before meeting Brenna. You were too weak to grab your laptop, so you asked him for the names of the women that disappeared. if they had found a pattern with the women that might explain things. He mentioned that all of them were brunette, pretty. As he started to list off the names, you recollect back to the missing faces you had examined when you thought you were taking the hunt. He mentioned one of the victim’s name was Nicole.   
  
Nicole, a pretty brunette that caught the eye of Sam when you first got there. He routinely visited her place for “interviews.” You knew better than that, but you didn’t care about his personal time. He frequently enjoyed the company of other people. Anyone that was attractive and willing was his taste. One of them was even an unhappily married woman. You forgot what her name was.   
  
"Man, did you go through them like kleenex. Married, single. You didn’t care.” You found yourself speaking your personal thoughts out loud. Sam was quiet for a moment until he asked what you meant by that. You didn’t concentrate on what he had to say. Maybe it was your fever that was making you feel like you were out of your mind and the cough medicine thinking that you were thinking to yourself. “This thing is coming for him. Whatever this thing is, I bet it’s going after people he slept with. He’s got plenty of options, too. Good thing I’m not there.”   
  
Sam ended the call before you could figure out what you had just done. You furrowed your brow when you heard the dial tone come from the other end of the line. You wouldn’t realize what you admitted to until your fever would go down in a few days. Until then, you slept and slept so more while the boys continued on the hunt.   
  
Your suspicions about the victims had been right. Dean made the connection himself after the woman from the restaurant that pulled the moves on his brothers went missing. The thing they were hunting was called an arachne, a monster that trapped their victims in a spiderweb. What Sam did as a soulless man bit him in the ass. He sacrificed a man’s life to finish the job, but he was sloppy, resulting in the sheriff to lure the man back in with the women he slept with in order to get him back in town.   
  
Unlike last time he was here, Sam managed to save the day with the help of his brother. It was another job well done. It seemed almost bittersweet. Sam got what he wanted, a peek into the past and managed to set some things straight. All though, scratching at that wall, he learned a thing or two that he wanted to never know about. The truth was a painful thing to process. But he wondered which one hurt worst. The knowledge that he slept with his best friend. Or the feeling of hell burning him alive.

  


\+ + +

  


“Are you sure you’re okay?”   
  
The question was meant for the younger Winchester, but for the first time in the past three days, you could answer that you were on the track of getting there. You were sitting up right on the couch with your legs crossed and laptop propped open. In one hand you had a still steaming hot cup of tea to soothe your still aching sore throat and a cell phone in the other. Your fever had reduced late last night when you woke up for the first time after sleeping for seven solid straight hours. One of the good things about being sick was that you were getting more rest than you had since you started hunting. Downside, the past seventy-two hours were a blur. It came with the high fever you had been battling and the cough medicine you had been taking.   
  
The older Winchester updated you on how things were proceeding while you were gone. He had good news, and bad news. You decided to be lead with the good news first. The good news was that the case the boys had taken by an anonymous tip was solved. And they found out who lead them there. That’s when the bad news came in. The entire set up was a trap for Sam. It seemed that you and him had worked a case back in the day while he was soulless and you were still hunting without Dean. But that wasn’t the worst of it. While Sam insisted on working the case to fix what he didn’t while soulless, he got a taste of the past that you had tried to prevent.   
  
Sam’s good deed lead him with terrible consequences. He took a trip down memory lane filled with flashbacks of his time when he was soulless. The more he worked on the case, the more he started to remember. What was the most worrisome part of it all was right before they were about to leave, Sam blacked out for a few minutes before coming back around. In the true Winchester fashion, Sam said that he felt perfectly fine. All though he admitted much as to being exhausted—the equivalent of being hit by a planet. But he thought he was healthy enough to go on hunting like nothing was wrong. You and Dean were a bit more skeptical.   
  
“I said, I’m fine.” Sam lied for the third time since being asked the question about his well being. You rolled your eyes in annoyance from how stubborn he could be. You brought the cup to your lips and take a drink. Not liking he attention on himself, Sam decided to change the conversation back to you. “What about you? I called you last night. But you sounded pretty out of it.”   
  
“You did? Oh, you did.” You mumbled underneath your breath. You moved the phone away from your ear to check the list of recents calls you had gotten. And there was Sam’s name. He called you last night around seven. “Huh. And yeah, I guess I was. Fever and cough medicine sure as hell make a weird combo.”   
  
“So, I’m guessing you don’t remember the conversation we had last night?” Sam asked.     
  
You furrowed your brow from his question. You honestly didn’t remember the conversation you supposedly had with Sam last night. Everything was a blur. The hunt that you took with him while he was still soulless was a bit of a better one in your memory. It was a few months into hunting with the Campbells and Dean was a distant memory you were trying to hide from yourself. You and Sam were finally comfortable in the messy, unhealthy friends with benefits set up you made. The younger Winchester still got plenty around with the ladies. But when you wanted a little fun with him, no matter the time or the place, he was at your beck and call.   
  
You could feel your cheeks beginning to burn as your stomach suddenly felt nauseated. Maybe it was because of the mucus dripping somewhere other than your nose. Maybe it was due to the terrifying thought that you let something slip when you were out of your mind. You knew you became an open book when you got a little too drunk. Having a fever and the strong medicine that you were taking made you feel like the entire time you were awake was like one long trip you didn’t know was a dream or reality. You decided to proceed with caution.   
  
“No, I don’t.” You admitted. “Did I say anything stupid?”   
  
“I don’t know. Most of the things that came out of your mouth were mostly gibberish. I only called to see of you could help.” Sam said. You found yourself letting out a sigh of relief from what you heard. All though it posed the question if he was really telling the truth, or if he was being polite. If you had blurted out the truth, Sam didn’t seem to let the silence linger into awkward territories. "How are you feeling today? You sound better.”   
  
“Wish I could say that I was. My fever is down, thank God. It’s been driving me insane. I mean, the dreams I’ve been having over the past few days…” You said. You trailed off for a moment to take another sip of your drink, the warmth soothing your sore throat. Your dreams were filled all sorts of things that almost felt real. Of things that you shuddered at the thought of when your mind replayed them again. Dean asked them what it was about. “It’s nothing serious. They’ll pass. I just don’t think I’ll be running any marathons for the rest of the week. Since you two barely survived without me, how do you feel about taking another job?”   
  
“Depends.” Dean said. “What do you got for us?”   
  
“Your favorite.” You said. You moved the cursor over to the article that caught your attention a few minutes right before the boys called you. “Janitor murdered in a college lab last night. Doors were locked. Nobody else got in or out of the building.”   
  
“Great.” Sam said, seeming on board with the idea of staying busy. “Where to?”   
  
“Paterson, New Jersey. I’ll send you the link so you can take a look for yourself.” You said. You were about to do just that, but you found yourself starting to chuckle when you began to realize where they were going. “Oh, hey. Maybe you two will get a Snooki sighting.”   
  
You quietly chuckled to yourself about the pop culture phenomenon that had been surrounding the state lately and the group of people who made it famous. Dean got a kick out of it himself when you heard him scoff while they were still on speaker with you. Sam, however, being gone for over a year and a half, still had a lot of catching up to do. “What’s a Snooki?”   
  
“That is a good question.” You mumbled underneath your breath.   
  
\+ + +   
  
The drive from Rhode Island to New Jersey took no time at all. You sent the link to the article to Sam a few minutes after you ended the call. While you continued your hibernation on Bobby’s couch in the library, the boys settled themselves into a motel and checked out the crime scene at the college. A simple sweep of the room with the EMF reader blamed a spirit to be at fault for this murder. But that wasn’t the weirdest part of it all. Dean had gotten a phone call from a name he hadn’t seen in what felt like months—Lisa Braden.   
  
The woman he least heard from after he was cursed with a truth spell and she was forced to tell him everything about how she truly felt about him. She wanted her distance from him, and that’s what he gave her. Why she was calling after all this time sent warning flags off in his head as he started to think of the worst possible scenario. Dean had been cautious during their relationship, and the real villain was dead. It was left Dean wondering why—after all this time—she wanted to talk to him.   
  
The woman who told the truth about how hard she tried to understand who he was. How much she tried to do everything to get him to balance both worlds. She was right about stepping away.  Dean thought it was best to ignore her calls. Whatever sort of loneliness she might be having would pass. She would find someone better than him. The both of them would pretend like what happened a year or so go didn’t happen. Sometimes it was better to forget the past then open it up like a wound that healed into a scar. But in order for the past to turn into a scar, you needed to face it head on and resolve the issue.   
  
Dean didn’t know how Lisa’s life was going without him, he wanted to think that it was flourishing without him in it to screw it up. Lisa was a strong, smart woman. But she couldn’t fit into the lifestyle that he lead with. Dean didn’t let practically anyone in. And much as he had thought his relationship with you was unhealthy, he would agree…and disagree. He wouldn’t admit it to her straight in the face, but he was happier than he had been in a long time. He was happy with Lisa, too. Being with Lisa was like living through a movie. It was fun and exciting, he got to do things that he never could before. But, in the back of his mind, he knew it would eventually end.   
  
And while it did end on a sour note, Dean was content with how things turned out after being hit with that truth spell. It turned out to be a cursing…and a blessing. He finally got the truth out of you about how you really felt about him, and he found out what was wrong with his brother. Things were ever so slightly looking up for him. His life wasn’t perfect. His brother was being a stubborn pain in the ass, he had unfinished business that needed solving. He thought his love life from a past relationship wouldn’t be one of them. Much as Dean tried to ignore Lisa, after her third attempt at calling him, he bit the bullet and answered the phone.   
  
The voice he heard on the other end when he answered wasn’t Lisa’s like he suspected. It wasn’t even female. Who had been calling him for the past few days was her son, Ben. Dean was a bit taken back at why the kid would be calling him, especially with what he did to the poor kid the last time that he saw him. Ben was persistent on getting Dean back home. Because it seemed his mother had been in a state of depression. She wouldn’t leave her room half the time, she wouldn’t talk to her son about anything. Lisa wasn’t herself lately. Ben thought that Dean could come in and save the day. And much as the older Winchester tried to say no, Sam pushed him to settle his past. They would have to face it eventually.   
  
So, that’s what Dean was doing. He left his little brother to solve the case and headed to Michigan to face a past that he thought would be buried forever, or, at least, for a little bit longer. He spent all day and night driving to the Braden household to see if he could try and knock some sense into the woman. What he didn’t understand that why, all of a sudden, she was feeling depressed. Was she missing him? He highly doubted that. She dodged a bullet with him. She was too good for him. Not that she was better than you.   
  
The both of you were perfect in his eyes—smart, beautiful, stubborn and had qualities that he chesheried. You and Lisa were almost the same type of person, but, yet, you were complete polar opposites of one another. And the only real thing that was different from Lisa’s relationship to his with you, he loved you. In Lisa’s words, your relationship was messed up, unhealthy, and you were going to do nothing but make him miserable. If that was the case, so be it.   
  
He sustained a lot of rainy and miserable days. At some points it felt like the rain was never going to end, he was going to drown in the sorrows that flooded his mind. But there were times when the raining would stop, sometimes the clouds moved, shining some light. Even if it was only a little bit. And there were days when the rain cleared up and he was blessed with the sun. You were that sun, and when it shined, you made all those rainy days seem like they would never come back. Lisa was like an umbrella. She protected him and sheltered him when the storms were the roughest they had ever been. Lisa did all that she could for him, but when the sun came, she knew it was time to be put away.   
  
Dean knew it was his time to return the favor to Lisa in her time of need. He swallowed down all of his fears and pushed the doorbell several times to the home that he once thought was going to be his forever. He stopped after the fifth time and waited for someone to answer the door. It was a minute until he saw the front door handle twist, revealing a face that wasn’t Ben. It was Lisa, she answered the door with a bright smile on her face and dressed for a night on the town. When she realized who it really was, her smile faded, changing into a look of almost disbelief at who had the audacity to be standing on her front porch after all this time.   
  
“Dean,” She spoke his name like it was poisonous venom. “What are you doing here?”   
  
“Well, you look absolutely fine.” Dean said. Lisa furrowed her brow from what he said and began wondering what exactly his motive was for being here. He let out a sigh when he realized what was going on here. Ben sure was a sneaky kid. “We’ve been Parent Trap’d. Ben sent out a 911.”   
  
“Why would he do that?” Lisa asked.   
  
Dean examined Lisa’s black dress and earrings that looked expensive, to how her hair was perfectly styled in an updo that she wasn’t spending a night in to watch TV. She was in the middle of getting ready when he interrupted her. "You’re going on a date, huh?”   
  
Lisa thought about the question for a moment before it was her turn to sigh, in annoyance from what her son did. She opened up the door wider and invited her unwelcome guest on in. Dean followed his familiar way down the path to the kitchen, gladly taking a cold beer from Lisa before she grabbed a green cardigan to cover up. He took a seat on one of the stools he once sat at with Ben while Lisa cooked them breakfast. It felt like a lifetime ago.   
  
Lisa began to slowly pace around the living room, the same way she did when Ben was nearly on the edge of failing science. It was things that you dealt with as a parent. Now she was nervously pacing because it was her past knocking. And neither one of them wanted to answer it.   
  
“So, who’s the guy?” Dean decided to satisfy his curiosity and attempt to break the silence. Lisa  turned around to face him, wondering if he was going to be a dick about it. She repeated his question with an almost sarcastic tone of voice. Dean raised his brow, wanting to show her that he wanted things to go civil. She decided to answer his question.   
  
“His name’s Matt.” Lisa answered his question. “He’s a doctor.”   
  
“Oh, Dr. Matt.” Dean mumbled. He tried not to let his feeling show as he nodded his head slowly before looking down at his beer. His remark wasn’t meant to be malicious. But, for some reason, it came off that way. “How respectable.”   
  
“How long was it until you and Y/N got back together?” Lisa questioned the man. She wanted it to be a rhetorical question that was said to spite him, but from the look on his face, she knew instantly that the both of you were an item again. She shook her head and rolled her eyes.  "I don’t wanna do this with you, Dean. I don’t want things to be like this. But it is. I called you six times, Dean.“   
  
“And I almost called you back about a hundred.” Dean admitted. Lisa’s lips stretched into a tight smile from hearing his confession. She turned around her spot, her back now to him. “Lis, Ben called me. I dropped everything and ran. If you want to know if I still care—”   
  
“Doesn’t help me.” Lisa said, quickly turning around to face him again.   
  
"You ended things with me. And for good reason. Give me the cold shoulder, tell me I’m a dick. I don’t care. Just don’t walk on eggshells around me.” Dean said. He knew how she got when she wanted to get something off her chest. All though she let everything out on the phone, there had to be something else from how she was acting. “What do you want from me?”   
  
“I’m not asking for anything.“ Lisa said with a matter-of-fact voice.   
  
“Well, then ask for something,” Dean demanded. “‘cause you’re sure acting like it!”   
  
A tense silence fell between the both of them from how Dean raised his voice. The both of them turned their gaze away from one another when they heard footsteps quietly approaching down the hall. Ben, the culprit who lied just to get them in the same room, wasn’t going to stick around for very long. He stopped in his tracks when his mother and Dean caught him.   
  
“Go to your room!”   
  
Ben stopped dead in his tracks when he felt two pairs of eyes on him. His mother gave him a warning look as Dean acted like it was another day, but when he realized he was just a guest, the man gave the kid a smile. Ben didn’t say a word. He listened to the command and headed up to his bedroom. Lisa let out a sigh from what her son was trying to do. It was all for the right reasons, but he was still too young to understand there was more to this situation than what she told him.   
  
It had always been just the two of them since he was born. Until that fateful day when Dean knocked on their front door and changed their lives forever. Ben got a taste of having a father figure in his life, Lisa had someone in her life that felt right. The Braden family thought things were perfect, that this feeling would last forever. But nothing good ever does.   
  
Lisa took the empty stool next to Dean’s, deciding to finally answer his question with a bit of truth she didn’t realize until it was too late. “You know, I can’t ask you for something. I know what I want…I wanted it before you knocked on my door. Ever since Y/N left a letter in my mailbox asking me to look out for you, back when all that crazy stuff was happening, I tried not to think much about it. I thought if things were meant to be, it would. When you showed up…I thought it was a sign. I gave it my all. For her. For Ben. And for that year we all were together, I don’t know about you, but it was the happiest time in my life.”   
  
Dean thought that Lisa had admitted all of her buried truth back when he had the cursed spell, but it seemed she was harboring it longer. Time doesn’t always heal wounds. Sometimes they make it worse. "When Y/N showed up after all that time, I was upset. I said all those things to you because I was angry. And, I’ll be honest, I was jealous. Because she has something I can’t, not how you live. My phone rings, someone knocks on my door, tiny chance it’s you. I think you want to try again. But I know hell would freeze over before that happens. Big chance, it’s Sam or Y/N, calling to tell me you’re dead.”   
  
Dean wasn’t good with relationships. He never had been. He was more the kind of guy who loved ‘em at night and left them in the morning, never to be heard from again. Lisa was one of them who had showed him a weekend he never forgot. It took him to have his head on the chopping block from a demon deal to fetch her name and see if the spark was still there. It also was the same reason why he let his personal feelings for you come up to the surface. Dean had a special connection to you and Lisa. He softly spoke the name of the woman who he had up and left after she gave him everything, Lisa shook her head.   
  
“Don’t apologize, or anything. I know, Dean. I know you love her, she loves you. And I’m sorry for what I said. It was just how I felt at the time. And I’m trying to get better. And I have been. I get to this place where I’m okay…and then you show up at our door. You keep doing that. Every time I think I’m never gonna see you again.” Lisa said. She waited for him to get up and leave, but he sat there, almost like a deer in headlights. “I’m trying to get over you. What are you trying to do? What do you want from us, Dean? Because whatever it is, me and Ben can’t give it.”   
  
Dean, yet again, didn’t know what to say. He didn’t want to apologize for his feelings for you, but he couldn’t say the time that he had with Lisa was a waste. Lisa pushed herself up to her feet and circled around to the kitchen. She opened up a drawer and pulled out an envelope. She outstretched her arm, signaling for Dean to take it. All she said was that she needed this out of her house before she made her way upstairs to finish getting ready. Dean stared at the name written on the front of the envelope, and who’s handwriting it belonged to. He was tempted to read it, but not here. Dean decided to speak to someone else before he left.   
  
Ben was upstairs in his room like Dean suspected, sitting on the edge of his bed playing his video games that consumed most of his life. It was nice to know that some things didn’t change. Dean made his way into the room, acting casual for this conversation to go smoothly. He peeked over slightly to see what game Ben was playing.   
  
“Well, that’s ridiculous,” Dean said, trying to start a conversation with him. “Plants could never kill a zombie.”   
  
“You think I’m gonna say I’m sorry?” Ben asked.   
  
“Why would I think that, because you lied to get me here?” Dean wondered. Ben still thought his idea of an emergency was correct. The older Winchester knew the kid was sorely mistaken. “A date’s not an emergency, Ben.”   
  
“It is if it’s the third one.” Ben said. He was just a kid, but he was at the age where he thought he knew everything. “I watch TV, I know what that means.”   
  
Dean let out a sigh from what the poor kid was going through. He really didn’t understand what was going on, all he wanted was for things to be the way they were. Dean walked over and sat at the edge of the bed next to him. "Well, your mom’s a grownup…she gets to go out.”   
  
“Why won’t you come home? Can’t you just say ‘I’m sorry’ and then come back?” Ben asked. He thought that two words were going to fix a situation that was already bad enough as it was. Dean apologized for what he couldn’t do. “Can’t or won’t?”   
  
“Both.” Dean answered.   
  
“So you hate Mom now?” Ben questioned the man, trying to figure out the true motive. Dean looked at the kid with surprise at what he was trying to get at. “So it’s me? Whatever I did, I’m sorry.”   
  
“Listen to me. You didn’t do anything. You understand that?” Dean said. He spoke in a firm tone, wanting to convey the message that everything which was unfolding wasn’t the kid’s fault. He was still a kid. Nothing on TV to explain what was going on. “Look, one day you’ll get this, when you’re older.”   
  
“Don’t talk to me like I’m six.” Bean said.   
  
“Okay, fine. It’s like this then. Just because you love someone, doesn’t mean you should stick around and screw up their life.” Dean said. If the poor kid wanted the truth, so be it. Dean would rather leave here with Lisa and Ben hating his guts than wishing for something that was never going to happen again. “So I can’t be here.”   
  
“You think something will follow you home?” Ben asked, wondering if it was all about their wellbeing. Dean felt his jaw tighten at what the real reason was.   
  
“No. No, I don’t. But I think my job turns me into somebody that can’t sit at your dinner table.” Dean said. “And if I stayed, you’d end up just like me.”   
  
Ben shook his head, “Why do you say it like you’re so bad?”   
  
“Trust me. I’m not someone you wanna aim to be.” Dean said. Ben tried to put his opinion in on the matter, but it wouldn’t change the way things had to be. “I’m sorry, Ben. You see, this was you got a shot at living whatever life you want. You know, pick one. Pick five. Because with me, there’s just the one road.”   
  
“You’re a liar, Dean.” Ben suddenly said. Dean furrowed his brow when the kid became hostile towards him. “You say family’s so important. But what do you call people who care for you, who love you even when you’re a dick?”   
  
“You got me. Family is important. But mine gets hurt all the time. If I stick around, I don’t know what will happen.” Dean said. He tried his hardest to try and explain. “And my family’s a little different from yours. They’re all sorts of messed up.”   
  
“Then why are you leaving? Why are you going back to them if they’re so messed up?” Ben was throwing question after question at Dean before he could answer them. He had every right to be upset, but the kid hit a place where he knew nothing about. “I heard Mom when she was on the phone with you. It’s that Y/N woman, isn’t it? She said that you two love each other. But if she loves you so much, why does she make your life so miserable? Why couldn’t you just let her stay dead?  Hell, it would be better for everyone if she dropped dead now. For good.”   
  
“Hey! Don’t you ever speak about someone like that.” Dean found himself snapping at Ben. It was mostly because for how he was talking about you, but he reminded himself that Ben was still a kid. “It’s disrespectful.”   
  
“Why? It’s the truth. I read 'Pet Sematary.’ When Louis brought Church and Gage back from the dead, they weren’t the same. They were freaks.” Ben said, almost hissing out the last word he said. Dean blinked, wondering how a kid like him could suddenly be so…angry. “Sometimes dead is better. And if Y/N was dead, maybe you could stay.”   
  
"Maybe you’re right. If Y/N was still gone…I’d be here. But she’s alive. So is my brother. And they need me. Just as much as your mom needs you. Because she loves you. She wants to protect you, she wants you to find someone special. And trust me when I say this,” Dean let out a sigh. “When you’re older, you’ll understand. You’ll find someone special…and before you know it, you’re head over heels. You’ll do anything for them, and you’ll do just about everything to make sure they’re safe. And you keep going back to them because they make you happy.”   
  
“We didn’t make you happy?” Ben asked.   
  
“You do. But, I can’t make you happy. Not the way you and your mom deserve.” Dean admitted the awful truth nobody his age should hear. He felt like he was doing more harm than good.  “The two of you deserve a life that I can’t give you. I’m sorry.”   
  
\+ + +   
  
Dear Lisa,   
  
You might not know me, but I know you. We have a friend in common, his name is Dean Winchester. (And I realize as I write this out about how creepy this sounds. Let me explain myself.) My name is Y/N Y/L/N, I’m his girlfriend. Or…by the time you’re reading this, his ex. I know it’s weird. Why would I be leaving you a letter and telling you this information? Because you and I have something else in common. I think you know Dean is a special man. He doesn’t let many people in, especially not women. Both  of us have made an impact on his life for the better. I’ll be honest, when I first heard about you, I was a bit jealous from the way that he spoke about you. But after getting to know you, I realized what was so great about you. You have something that I could never give him. And that’s a happy life.   
  
When he first met Ben, he was instantly taken back to see how much he could he see himself in  your son. You have a great kid, Lisa. He’s sweet, smart and a lot like Dean. And if I have learned anything in life, it’s that family isn’t about blood. It can be with anyone if you let them into your life. I hope you will do that if Dean knocks on your door.   
  
I wish I could tell you more about myself. But I don’t have much time. I’ve known Dean since I was literally born. (And yes, I’m using the terminology right. He’s been at my side since I was a baby. Him and I have been through thick and thin. All though, I know my time’s up. Hopefully it will be your turn to share the rest of your life with him in blissful happiness with Ben. Maybe even have a child together. I don’t know. Just treat him right.   
  
In the next upcoming days the news will be filled with disastrous things that will scare you, but don’t worry. You and your son are going to be okay. Including Dean. I have a few friends that I am going to make some arrangements with so that, worst case scenario, all of you will be happy. And most importantly, safe. I wish I could have met you again in different circumstances, but this will have to do. I wish you the best for you and your son.   
  
Your friend, Y/N Y/L/N.   
  
P.S. Please take good care of Dean.   
  
It was the letter that started all of this. It was the reason why Lisa opened up her front door to him, why you had ran away all that time ago. Because you thought you were doing what was right. And it might have been at the time. Dean was a broken man after he witness you and his brother vanish from his sight. He didn’t know where to turn. You had lead him down a path that you thought was going to end with happily ever after. But then you came back and changed everything. For better, for worse. The truth was a bitter pill to swallow. This was for the best.   
  
Dean was on his way back to New Jersey when he decided to pull his phone out of his jacket pocket. He dialed a number and waited it to ring a few times before they picked up. His lips stretched into a faint smile when he heard your raspy, groggy voice. “Hello?”   
  
“Hey, sweetheart.” Dean greeted you. He looked down at the time to see that it was getting late. It was probably well into the night when he decided to call. “Did I wake you?”   
  
“It’s fine. I was just dozing. I’ve had enough sleep to last me a lifetime. Frankly, it’s boring.” You said. You moved the phone away for a moment so you could get comfortable. When you put the phone back to your ear, you were still silent for a few seconds longer. He felt his heart skip a beat when he heard your voice come out in a soft, sweet tone that he loved. “I miss you, Dean.”   
  
“I miss you, too.” Dean said. He forgot for a moment about the conversation with Lisa, and what Ben said about you. All he wanted to do was focus on the sound of your voice. He suddenly ached to be right next to you. “Sam’s a lousy hunter. I need my Nancy Drew back. Now, tell me, how’s crashing at Bobby’s been?”   
  
"Kind of fun, actually. Did you know he has a thing for Tori Spelling? It’s so…”   
  
Dean didn’t say a single world during the conversation with you. He put the phone on speaker and placed it up on the dashboard. The entire way to the New Jersey state line he listened to you ramble on about your time with Bobby, to all the TV you had been watching over the past week. His entire day had been thunderstorms and constant rain, but just like that, from the sound of your voice, he could see the sun peeking through. 

  


\+ + +

  


For the first time in a week and a half you were off the lumpy couch and breathing straight out of both your nostrils without a struggle. The symptoms you had been battling–from the high fever and running nose, to the body aches and chills–all of it seemed to vanish the next morning after you spoke to for a few hours. All though you enjoyed the unexpected break from hunting, you were eager than ever to get back out there. You were counting down the hours until the boys would be back and you could hunt some monsters. There was only so much sleep and TV one could watch before you started to go insane. All though, this little vacation wasn’t all that bad.   
  
When you were conscious and somewhat alert of your surroundings, you weren’t far from a book. It was part out of part boredom’s and some type of help Bobby to try digging deeper on this Mother of All business. But it wasn’t always work between the both of you. During the past several years you had known Bobby, you had grown closer than ever to him, yet…you didn’t know all that much about him. All you knew for sure was that Bobby got into hunting when his wife, Karen, was possessed by a demon and he was forced to kill her. While his past was tragic, you could sympathize his pain that he felt, because you knew it all too well.   
  
Everyone got into hunting for a different reason. Either you were born into it like the boys, Mary and your own mother. Or you were dragged into the lifestyle because someone you loved died a brutal death. You and Bobby, along with John, followed the path to where you ended up. All though, you and the boys, by your mothers’ wishes, never wanted for the three of you to be in this position. But you thought, if they were alive today, perhaps they would be proud for how you ended up. And would have liked the people you called family.   
  
Bobby knew your mother long before he knew John, back when she was still hunting and her parents were still alive. He even knew of you while you were still growing in your mother’s stomach. She was the one who introduced the two hunters before she moved out of Kansas and severed ties with the Winchester family for good. You never liked how things worked out. But at least your mother was smart enough to give John a name for someone who would look after the boys like they were his own flesh and blood.   
  
One afternoon, while you were feeling decent and your fever had yet to spike, you and Bobby sat in the kitchen passing stories. He held up to a promise he made after the first day he met you. He told you everything that he could remember about your mother when she was a hunter. She was a damn good one, but unlike you, she enjoyed the action more than the books. And she had an aim that would put Dean to shame. You listened with focus and soaked everything in. Bobby even told you what he could remember about your grandparents. Sweet couple, wanted their daughter to fall in their footsteps when they found out Ella couldn’t get pregnant.   
  
You didn’t even know how you got on the subject of the boys, but one afternoon while you were feeling decent before your fever spiked, you and Bobby sat in the kitchen sharing stories of the boys from when you knew them as teenagers while Bobby filled you in on all the hijinks they caused while John was away. It was kind of a breath of fresh air to hear that the boys had somewhat of a decent childhood growing up in this house.   
  
They were given a crappy hand from a father who was definition of a bastard, a coward who was more obsessed with revenge on a wife who sealed her own fate. While that was how you really felt about their father, you knew better than saying that to their faces. Your family might look perfect and innocent from the outside, but when you dug deep into how you came about, you were messed up just like them. It just took a little longer. You couldn’t say your parents were all that terrible. They tried their hardest. But they were gone. Yet, it didn’t mean you were alone. You and the boys might be grown adults, but you still made messes that you couldn’t handle. Bobby was always here, ready to help whatever way that he could. No questions asked.   
  
You were sitting at the kitchen table in the early afternoon with your nose buried in a book you found on Bobby’s shelf. You had always wanted to peek around to see what he had in his extensive collection of books and lore he must have been collecting for years. While you found yourself engrossed with the lore of some monster you never heard of before, you heard the front door open. You thought it was Bobby returning after he told you he’d be spending a few hours fixing up some scrap cars. As you heard footsteps approach the kitchen, you marked the spot you were reading with your finger and glanced up. You expected to see Bobby with greasy hands and a rag, but who you saw standing in the doorway made your lips stretch into a grin.     
  
Before he could even say hello, you greeted Dean with something that he’d been thinking about for days now. You threw yourself into his awaiting arms and kissed him without warning. Sam was yet nowhere to be seen. But you knew that would change in the matter of seconds. Dean wrapped his hands around your waist and pulled you in closer. You could feel his lips stretch into a smirk from your behavior. You two could never keep your hands off each other when you spent too long apart. The clingy behavior might be due to making up for lost time.   
  
“Someone’s sure feeling better.” Dean said. You nodded your head and mentioned that you were pretty much back to normal. No need to worry about catching whatever you had. Not that Dean cared. He was happy to have you in his eyesight after the time away. You heard footsteps approaching the kitchen and looked over to see that it was the younger Winchester.   
  
“Hey, Sammy.” You greeted the man with a warm smile. You were glad to see him on his feet and looking better than what you heard of a few days ago when you spoke to him on the phone with Dean. He weakly returned the friendly gesture as he stood in the doorway of the kitchen, his hands shoved into his jean pockets and eyes darting anywhere beside you. You furrowed your brow slightly, wondering why he was acting that way. Maybe they had a long car ride. “How was the hunt?”   
  
“Uh,” It was Dean who answered your question. He suddenly seemed to turn silent for a moment as he looked over at his brother. Both of them had this strange thing where they could communicate without saying a single word or move a muscle on their face. Dean looked back over at you and shrugged. “Weird. Really…weird. I got to take a look at Baby.”   
  
“Why?” You asked. “What’s wrong with her?”   
  
“Probably nothing. A ghost who liked to possess mannequins and a sex doll took over Baby and tried to pull a ‘Christine’ on us.” Dean explained what happened over the past week while you were recuperating. You raised your brow slightly from what sort of shenanigans you had missed out on. “Bobby around?”   
  
“Yeah, he’s out back.” You said, gesturing a thumb over your shoulder.   
  
Dean nodded his head and mentioned about heading out for a little while himself so he could work on the Impala. You let him be and headed back to the table as Dean made his way outside to the car waiting for his attention. As you sat back down and opened up the book, you heard the front door open and close, but Sam still stood where he was. You didn’t notice at first. You were engrossed in what you were reading. It was when you subconsciously glanced up to see that Sam was awkwardly hovering still.   
  
You gave him a slightly confused look from how he was acting. You asked him if he was all right. You thought he was going to brush off your question with a simple yes. He suddenly appeared even more apprehensive. Like he wanted to talk about something, but he was too afraid to bring it up.You shut your book again and gave him your full attention.   
  
“You look like you’re about to confess to a murder, Sam.” You said. You let out a quiet chuckle from how he was acting to try and cut the tension. It only made him grow worse. Your smile faded away as you became serious. You had a feeling you knew what this was about. But not to the full extent. “Is there something you remembered that’s bothering you?”   
  
“Something like that.” Sam admitted. You didn’t hesitate a single moment when you leaned forward and pulled out a seat next to yours. Before he could try and avoid the subject, you ordered for him to sit down. Sam, ever so slowly, moved one foot in front of the other until he was next to you. When he sat down next to you, and showed no signs of bolting, you shut the book and gave him your full attention. He suddenly got that puppy dog, guilty expression he gave his brother when they discussed what he started to remember the things he did when he was soulless. But what he remembered in Rhode Island felt worse. "Lately a lot of memories have been coming back to me. Things that I did while I was soulless…they were terrible. They were things that I wouldn’t do.”   
  
"Yeah, Sammy. Because it wasn’t you. Don’t beat yourself up over what you did. If anyone in this world can understand, it’s me.” You tried to comfort the man. You reached out and rested your hand on his forearm in a caring way. When you saw his reaction, you suddenly realized why he was beating himself up about. You let out a heavy sigh and drew your hand back. You leaned back in your seat and turned your head, you knew it’d be a matter of time until you would have this conversation. “You’re not talking about that time where you turned Dean into a vamp, are you?”   
  
“No. I’m talking about the conversation we had. The one where you don’t remember.” Sam said. You looked back over at him and to try and see some sort of disgust on his face for what the both of you did. All that you saw was pure guilt on his part. “I lied to you–which is something I used to do a lot of. Back when I called you, I wanted to know what you remembered about the case. You made the connection on your own that the missing women were ones I…knew.”   
  
Sam officially knew everything, well, the part where you had been sleeping with him behind his brother’s back during the year he was soulless. You nodded your head as you mentally cursed at your past, drugged self for being so stupid. “Sammy, look,” You decided that the truth was the most important thing here. “It was a bad time for the both of us. Okay? It was a stupid mistake.”   
  
“Yeah. On my part.” Sam said. He cut you off before you could try and explain the situation of how it really was. “I seriously screwed you–”   
  
“Phrasing, Sam.” You mumbled underneath your breath.   
  
“I did something stupid. I must have been acting out on some stupid thought I had before Lucifer jumped me. It was my fault. I’m sorry.” Sam apologized for something that he thought was all his fault. You rolled your eyes as you shook your head, Sam took it was your reaction for him thinking he was a pig. “I destroyed our friendship–”   
  
“Sam, can you shut up for five seconds?” You cut him off once again, officially getting to your wit’s end for how he was acting. You let out a sigh and decided that it was time to tell him how it really went down. "When we got out of hell, together, I was a bit of an emotional mess. I wanted to see Dean again. I wanted to destroy the happy life that he made for himself with Lisa because I was lonely. You were the one who talked me out of it. One thing lead to another…And you know. It was supposed to be a one time thing. But you know how it is to miss someone. And you were so much like him. It made me feel better for a little while. Not that it was the right thing to do.”   
  
“How long did it go on?” Sam asked. He didn’t sound upset, more of relief from what he was hearing. All this time since he got the memory, he kept thinking he destroyed the one thing his brother and you had going. Turned out, it was no emotional strings attached. The thought of his brother suddenly made him grow nervous all over again. “Does Dean–”   
  
“Up until we started hunting with Dean again. There was one or two other times. But that was it. And yes, he knows. Don’t worry. Truth goddess, all that good stuff. That’s how we figured out you were missing a soul.” You reassured the younger Winchester any sort of physical violence coming his way. “He beat the crap out of you afterwards.”   
  
“Yeah.” Sam mumbled. “I kinda deserved that.”   
  
“What you deserve,” You pushed yourself up to your feet and walked over to the fridge. You grabbed a couple of beers and handed one to him. “Is a nice, cold beer. And to stop beating yourself up over what you did. Most of it was my fault. That’s why I went through all that trouble to get you back to normal. I did something stupid and I regret it. But I’m not gonna think about it. Because holding onto the past doesn’t change anything. It only makes us worse.”   
  
"Thanks Confucius. Wish you were with us a couple days ago tell us that.” Sam said. You narrowed your eyes playfully at the younger Winchester, wondering what he meant by that. “This past week without you made me realize something.”   
  
“That I’m amazing and you would die without me?” You sarcastically wondered.   
  
“Pretty much. I have a soul because you, Y/N..“ Sam said. You shrugged your shoulders as you brought the beer to your lips to take a drink. "I never thanked you for that, did I?”   
  
“It’s all good, Sammy.” You said.   
  
“Well, thanks. And I mean it.” Sam said with sincerity. You looked at him for a moment before you nodded your head, your lips slowly stretching into a smile at his words that you never asked for. Or ever needed to hear. “Look, you’re right. What happened between us in the past. We keep our heads down, keep going at it like normal. We lost one, but with you back, I’m sure we’ll win more. And, for what it’s worth, I got your back.”   
  
“You better, Sasquatch.” You said with a serious tone. You reached out your arm and held your beer bottle near his. Both of you lightly clinked your drinks together. “Because that’s what best friends do for each other.”


	11. The French Mistake

“You know, when I said this kind of weather made me want to curl up with a good book and read,” You grunted slightly in pain when you felt three more leather bound hardcover books, each weighing at least two pounds, plop don to the two other ones you were barely able to keep holding. “This wasn’t exactly what I had in mind, Sammy.”

You managed to find the strength in your arms to continue balancing the lore books the younger Winchester pulled off from the shelves so they wouldn’t fall. It was a few days since the boys wrapped up a few hunts on their own. During the time they were gone, you were benched on Bobby’s couch for two weeks with a nasty flu that was now out of your system. You and the boys were now sticking around to help figure out this Mother of All business. The weather that was brewing outside tonight, from the heavy patter of rain hitting the window to the lightning that illuminated the sky before a roll of thunder crashed, was also another reason to stick around.

Sam reached out to take yet another dusty book off the shelf to accompany the two others that he was holding. You huffed out a frustrated breath from the lack of literal weight he was carrying. He looked down at you to see that you were struggling to hold what you could. Your face turned into a glare from the amused smile that stretched across his lips.

“I thought you wanted to help now that you’re all better.” Sam said. You mocked his sarcastic tone and matching smile as you shoved all the books to his awaiting arms.You headed back to the library with Sam following behind. You found Dean sitting at the desk with the laptop open and an empty bottle of whiskey he’d been drinking all night. Sam looked around the room to see the older hunter was nowhere to be seen. “Where’s Bobby?”

“In town. Supply run.” Dean said. You furrowed your brow in concern as you looked towards the window. The storm outside showed no signs of stopping. From how harsh the rain was coming down, you doubt any driver could see at least a few feet in front of them. “Man is a hero. But in more important news, we are officially out of hunter’s help.”

“I’ll make sure to alert the media.” You said. You grabbed the empty bottle from Dean’s hand to properly dispose of it and made your way to the kitchen. You doubted this was the last source of alcohol in Bobby’s place. You would replace it, along with getting him something better than a cheap bottle like this for everything that he’d done for you. You glanced away from the label on the bottle you were holding when you noticed the lights began to flicker on and off. “Hey, do you think that could be ‘cause of the—Oh!”

Your question about the light fixtures around the room was abruptly cut off when you managed to look at where you were going. And who was standing in your way. Your brow furrowed tightly in confusion as you tightened your grip around the neck of the bottle. Angels always had a bad time of showing up and invading one’s personal space. You took a step back and held up the bottle like some sort of weapon. Last time you seen Balthazar, his first impression of you wasn’t exactly perfect. You and the boys might have trapped him a ring of holy fire. And planned on keeping him there, that was, until Cas decided to be the bigger person and set his brother free.

“Hello, Y/N. Boys.” Balthazar greeted you in a rather friendly tone. You aimed your arm holding the glass bottle higher up to show that you weren’t the least bit threatened by his unexpected appearance. He wasn’t here to seek revenge when the angel circled past you and headed for something next to the fireplace. Dean made the smart decision of getting out of his chair and far away from the desk to try and distance himself from the angel. “You seen the Godfather, right? When Michael Corleone sends his men to kill his enemies in one big, bloody swoop.”

“Hey.” Dean said, trying to get Balthazar’s attention when he saw the angel putting his grubby hands all over Bobby’s stuff. The angel paid the hunter no attention as he grabbed all the supplies he would need. You dropped you arm to the side and walked over to the desk and loudly set the bottle down, Balthazar didn’t even look in your direction from the loud noise you made. He seemed too absorbed in talking to himself.

“Dead sea brine. Good, good, good.” Balthazar began to pour at least a cup into the bowl he set down on the desk that he claimed to be his work space. He continued on with talking about the mob movie predating you and the boys. “Then Moe Greene gets hit in the eye. Don Cuneo gets it in the revolving door.”

“I said,” Dean tried once more to get the angel’s full attention. “Hey.”

"You did. Twice. Good for you.” Balthazar praised the man in a sarcastic tone of voice. He directed his focus on finding his next ingredient, which was the blood of lamb. He muttered it underneath his breath as he looked around the place to see if he could find it lying around by chance. When he didn’t, he popped out of sight for a moment, startling you and the boys. You quickly looked over your shoulder when you heard his voice come from the kitchen. He looked through the fridge until he found what he was looking for. “Beer, cold pizza, blood of lamb. Yes. Blood of lamb.”

“Why are you talking about the godfather?” Sam asked, deciding to lead with that question and then to the reason for Balthazar’s search for all sorts of odds and ends.

“Because we’re in it right now. Tonight.” Balthazar wasn’t in the kitchen anymore, but next to the desk. You quickly turned around to face him again, and try to keep up with whatever the hell is going on right now. “And in the role of Michael Corleone: the archangel Raphael.”

“Last time I saw Raphael, you turned his vessel into a pile of salt.” You said. You watched as Balthazar unscrewed the top to the jar and poured the blood into the bowl. “Mind telling us what the hell is going on?”

Balthazar didn’t just yet. He was too busy muttering no in a slightly panicked tone as he pulled out the top drawer to the desk. He dumped out the content onto the chair and rummaged through the junk until he pulled out exactly what he needed, packed freshly into a ziplock baggie. He held up what appeared to be a human bone with a grin on his lips, satisfied at what he was able to find.

“Bone of a lesser saint. This vertebra will do very nicely.” Balthazar said. “Your Mr. Singer does keep a beautiful pantry.”

“I’ll pass on the compliment when I see him again.” You said. “Now, about Raphael coming after you…why are you here, exactly? You’re kind of putting us in danger. Now I can send your ass the way to the other side of the world if you don’t–”

“Raphael is after us all. You see, he consolidated his strength and now he’s on the move.” The angel gave you and the boys news that wasn’t the least bit surprising to hear. You always had bad blood with Raphael, ever since you decided to stop his apocalypse. Balthazar grabbed the bowl after he crushed the bone and began stirring it together while moving to the window. You asked where your mutual friend Cas was in all of this mess. “Oh, Cassie? He is deep, deep underground. So good old Raphie put out a hit list on every last Samaritan who helped out our dear Cas. Including the three of you. And so much more importantly, me.”

You rolled your eyes, “So glad to hear your heart is in the right place.”

“See, he wants to draw Cas out in the open.” Balthazar explained more of the plan. He coughed a few times before he dipped a finger into the mixture and began to draw some sort of sigial onto the glass.

“And you expect us to just believe you?” Sam wondered, knowing the three of you weren’t siding with any angel. They were all dicks that screwed each of you over time and time again. There was no way Balthazar was here out of the goodness of his own heart to protect you from the big, bad Raphael while Cas was God knows where.

“Oh, don’t. You’ll go where I throw you, either way.” Balthazar said. You wanted to ask him what he meant by that, but you had a feeling the answer wasn’t what you wanted to hear. As if seeing Balthazar and hearing that Raphael was after you wasn’t bad enough, the lights began to flicker on and off again. “And that’s all the time we have, lady and gentlemen.”

Balthazar set the bowl down and walked forward to you. He patted around the pockets of his jacket in search for something. He unbuttoned it and discovered what he was looking for was on the inside pocket. You, however, found your attention lingering to the rather large bloodstain on his shirt that didn’t look like a flesh wound.

"Oh,” You winced at the sight. “What happened there?”

“Garnish, I know. You see, Uncle Raphie sent one of his nastiest to handle me. I’m flattered, actually. And down a lung at the moment, but that’s all right. Here. For you.” Balthazar gave you what appeared to be a key. You gave him a confused look while you grabbed it from him. You asked what he wanted you to do with it. “Run with it.”

It was the only advice he could offer you before trouble came knocking. You hid the key into a fist you made when you saw Balthazar go flying across the room and slid across the floor, crashing into a pile of books Bobby had stacked neatly against the staircase. You and the boys looked to the kitchen to see a man in a suit charging forward. If there was anything else you knew about angels, they liked to be snappy dresser. And the threatening glare on his face was another key to make you realize who the stranger was.

“Virgil.” Balthazar spoke the name of the angel who was after him. He started to push himself up to his feet. But when he saw you and the boys staring at the scene, caught in the crossfire, he quickly made sure to change that. “I said, run!”

You didn’t know what happened next. You suddenly felt what was like a gust of wind knock you off your feet and sent you flying in the air. When you realized you were in the direction of the window, you covered your face and braced for the wet and painful impact you were going to have. You heard the glass break when yours and the boys weight went crashing through it, but it wasn’t painful like you suspected. Neither was the impact. You felt your body land face first on something…plastic. And rather soft.

“Cut!”

An unfamiliar male voice made you quickly push yourself up to your knees. You thought you were going to land face first in wet grass and tiny shards of glass poking into your skin. But what you saw wasn’t that. Your eyes darted back and forth when you saw at least a dozen or so people circled around. You suddenly felt like a deer in headlights when they all started clapping. What for? You slowly turned your head to see the boys were right by your side, looking terrified and bewildered as you did. It didn’t take much brain power to piece together that you weren’t anywhere near Bobby’s house. Maybe not South Dakota from the looks of this place. It looked like you were thrown onto what appeared to be a movie set.

“Real good solid fall.” You turned your head to see an older man complimenting Dean before he decided to lightly smack his ass for whatever reason. You gave the man a dirty look that went unnoticed. “Way to go.”

“Jared, Jensen, Y/F/N.” The man who had shouted cut spoke again. You looked over at him when you realized that he was speaking to the three of you. You furrowed your brow when he said a few names that were unfamiliar. Maybe he was talking to someone else. But you had a gut feeling he wasn’t when he was looking in your direction. “Outstanding. That was just great.”

You had no idea who the hell those people where, what was going on or where you were. You could tell from the looks of this place that it had to be some sort of Hollywood set. The mat you were lying on shifted in weight. You looked over your shoulder to see some guy holding a clapperboard standing a foot away from you. You squinted slightly to read what was on the thing. “Supernatural, scene one, ‘Echo.’ Take one, tail slate. Marker.” And with that, he snapped the top.

You had never felt more confused and a little bit terrified in your life than you did in this very moment. You and the boys pushed yourself up to your feet and began examining your surroundings. This wasn’t right. You peeked inside the window you had crashed through. While the inside looked to be Bobby’s house, it wasn’t. Everything was the same, but the two guys in headgear and the studio lights told a much different story. You looked around to see the entire place was crawling with people in headsets or clipboards. Nobody seemed to give you a second look. One or two even gave you a smile as they passed by.

“So no angels?” Sam asked. You tried to find any sight of Balthazar, or even that angel who had appeared out of nowhere. But there was no trace of them around.

“No angels,” Dean confirmed his brother’s suspicion. “I think.”

“Should we be killing anybody?” Sam wondered. You had seen enough TV in your lifetime figure out the people around you weren’t threatening looking. Is that where you ended up? “Running?”

Where to? You had no idea where you ended up, not to mention, where you would go. You looked down to see where you were stepping so you wouldn’t end up with a shard of glass in your foot. You kicked a piece, expecting it to break when it traveled enough distance to land on the ground. It only bounced slightly before settling into a spot. You bent down and grabbed a piece of what you thought was glass. Only it wasn’t. You grabbed something that felt like soft and bendable gel. You threw it at Dean, expecting it to hurt, only it didn’t.

“Moving on! That’s a wrap on Jared, Jensen and Y/F/N!”

There were those names again. You looked around to see who the hell they were talking to. But you soon got an answer when a woman came out nowhere and grabbed Sam by the arm, calling him by a different name “Jared. Three minutes, okay? Great.” The younger Winchester had no choice as he followed her. You and Dean quickly on his heels.

“Where are we going?” Dean whispered to his brother.

“Jensen, there you are.” Another woman came out from the corner of your eye and placed her hand on Dean’s shoulder. She began directing him to the opposite direction. “Let’s just get you in the chair.”

“Um…Wait. Okay.” Your protests quieted down when you realized that you were alone on this one. You awkwardly looked around the place, unsure of what to do. Apparently people were calling Sam this Jared person and Dean was now Jensen. Which meant you must be this Y/F/N. “Who the hell is Y/F/N?”

You decided to do what Y/N does best, exploring places in order to figure out what the hell Balthazar did to you. The place easily had to be a TV set. You passed Sam, who looked like a deer in headlights as a woman asked him all sorts of questions from behind a camera. Dean was in a chair and being horrified at what the woman was doing to him. You found yourself on your journey to a table that was a few yards from where Dean sat. A makeup table with studio lightening around a large mirror to illuminate any sort of imperfection one had. You leaned forward slightly to give yourself a shock of what was waiting for you. But you noticed that you were mistaken. You looked…good. Like you were wearing makeup.

You didn’t wear makeup everyday, but you dabbled in the things you carried when the occasional called for it. You looked down at the vanity to see there was all sorts of makeup cluttered around and a paper with the name Y/F/N Y/F/L/N taped to the bottom right of the mirror. Your eyes wandered upwards to see there was pictures outlining the mirror. They were mostly all of you. A few of them were of you smiling and crowded around a few people that you didn’t recognize. You noticed a handful of them were for you posing for the camera with you covered in blood.

You were standing in one picture with your hands on your hips, proudly displaying your tattered clothes and ripped open stomach along with your pants that were tattered. It reminded you of that time you were killed by that hound. Another one was of you that appeared to have a beaten up face. You leaned forward to see the one of the top left was correct. It was of what looked to be you, grinning for the camera as you stood next to what had to be…Lucifer himself. The both of you looked like as if you were good friends. The background was of a set. Just like this one.

You could feel your heart pounding faster from what you were discovering. What the weirdest picture of them all was one sitting in the bottom right corner above the printed name. It was of a familiar face. You quickly ripped it off, needing a further examination of what you were seeing. It was a man standing with his mouth wide open, as if he was laughing. The woman next to him pressed her lips against his cheek. If you didn’t know better, it looked like a happy couple out on a boat enjoying a sunny afternoon in the middle of blue water that made even you envious from how breathtaking it was. While they were both wearing sunglasses, you knew who the man was. And who the woman that was kissing him.

“Croatia, last summer. You always loved it there.” You were startled when you heard a voice come from behind you. It was male, and it sounded…British. You turned around to see who was talking to you, but before you could, you suddenly felt your eyes bulge out of your head when you felt a pair of lips suddenly on top of yours. The kiss didn’t last long, only a quick peck before he pulled away. You tried your hardest to hide your horror when you saw it was Josh Carver himself. “Thought I’d surprise you at work.”

“Yeah, you—you really did that.” You tried your hardest to contain your surprise and urge to punch him in the throat as you lightly poked him in the chest. Josh looked at you with a funny expression as he gave you a smile. You had a feeling Josh wasn’t his name. But you were too afraid to ask what it was, or why he was speaking in an accent. "Uh…”

“Nate! Long time no see my man!” A crew member came out of nowhere and greeted the man who you thought was Josh, but it turned out his name was Nate. You watched as the two of them grabbed hands and pulled each other into a hug before slapping one another on the back, both acting like old friends. The two of them briefly talked about upcoming shoots while Josh—Nate grabbed a stack of binded packets from the man. As the man was about to leave, he quickly looked in your direction and gave a smile. “Nice work today, Y/F/N. Like always.”

The man standing in front of you—the one who claimed to be Nate—looked like Josh from the last time you saw him a little over a year ago before you committed to hunting. He was still tall and built with the same psychic he maintained since you saw him for the first time all those years ago. But he was dressed differently. Josh always preferred casual clothes and jeans. But here he stood, almost like a completely different person. He stood with neat and styled hair, along with some clothes that looked more expensive than any normal person could afford. He looked…good, handsome.

As the two men talked among themselves, you looked down at the packet sitting on top of the pile to see that it must have been a script. The font it was printed it was big enough for you to to read off the details.

Underneath the title there was a name of Nate Vaughn written in bold letters with a red sharpie. It didn’t take a moron to realize who that was. You slowly looked back up at the man when he started talking to you.

“I wish I was here to whisk you off to a fancy lunch, but it’s all business for me.” Josh—Nate said, his lips stretching into a smile as he talked in an accent that sounded natural. As if he was born from across the pond. Josh never talked like that. And he sure as hell would never do such a thing as to kiss you. What the hell was going on? “Jensen! Jared! Long time guys.”

You quickly looked over your shoulder to see that it was the boys coming back from whatever sort of project they were pulled away to. Sam appeared to be nothing but confused at the accent change he heard as Dean appeared only more frustrated at the sight of an old face.

“What the hell are you doing here?” Dean questioned the man. “And what’s with the accent?”

“Sort of comes with being raised in England for ten years, mate. But I can switch it back no problem. That comes with five years of vocal lessons.” The supposed Nate turned his voice into the normal, American one you always heard when you were around Josh. “I’m here to pick up some revised scripts before popping out. And I came to see my beautiful fiancée.”

Dean wondered who that was, but he quickly got his answer when the guy he thought was Josh lean in for more of an innocent kiss on the cheek. It took his brother and all the willpower that he had not to rip the man’s throat out from what he saw. The guy gave you a dazzling smile as he muttered an "I love you” before dashing out. When he was out of sight, you let out a heavy breath and turned the sight to what you were expecting to see. Dean standing there with his jaw painfully tight and a look of jealousy all over his face. If looks could kill, that Nate guy would be in a world full of pain and torture he never imagined.

“Fiancée? Fiancée?” Dean hissed the word out again. You narrowed your eyes on him as you quickly stepped forward, blocking his body before he could do something stupid. “Move, Y/N. I’m gonna ring that little bastard’s neck. And the prick who thought it was a good idea to put makeup on me!”

“Before you murder him, I know what’s going on.” Sam said. The breakthrough was enough for Dean to stop his concentration from his devious plans to hear what information his brother had to share. “It’s a TV show. Here, wherever here is…this Twilight Zone Balthazar zapped us into. For whatever reason, or life is a TV show.”

"So our lives in paperback wasn’t good enough.” You mumbled. You rolled your eyes and ran a hand through your hair. “Why would anyone want to watch our lives?”

"Well, I mean, according to the interviewer, not very many people do.” Sam said. For some reason, you found this as an insult. Like you deserved more. People said that you were good. And your life was…eventful. You scoffed and began walking with Dean when he started to find a way out of this place. “I’m not saying it makes sense. We landed in some dimension where you’re Jensen Ackles, Y/N’s someone called Y/F/N Y/F/L/N and I’m something called a Jared Padalecki.”

“So, what, now you’re Polish? Is any of this making any sense to you?” Dean asked. You shook your head. None of you were getting any sort of answers that made sense. Your worries were lessened slightly when you found a doorway outside and noticed a black car that sat untouched in the parking lot. “Oh. Hey, at least my baby made it.”

Dean was now all grin when he spotted the Impala just across the way. It was your only sense of familiarity in this place that felt right. On his way to Baby, he felt his happiness crumble when he saw some guy start to splatter what appeared to be mud all over his clean Impala. He tried to get the man to stop. But that wasn’t the worst of it. Baby was a prop. You looked to see there was two identical models along with one that looked exactly like the one when you got into that car accident right before John died and another one that wasn’t in good shape.

“I feel sick. I’m gonna be sick.” Dean mumbled. You rolled your eyes from how dramatic he was being. But you had to agree. You and Sam quickly caught up with him to try and find a real way out of here. “I wanna go home. I feel like this whole place is bad-touching me.”

“For once I don’t think you’re being dramatic. Me too.” You said. Never had you felt homesick for a life full of monsters trying to kill you and Bobby’s dusty library. Anything but here. “So, what do you think? Maybe Cas could help us?”

“It’s our best shot, if he’s still alive.” Dean said. The three of you found a secluded spot away from the crew so you could say a little prayer and get your asses out of here. “Dear Castiel, who art maybe running his ass away from Heaven…we pray that you have your ears on. So breaker, breaker.”

Dean opened his eyes as you began looking around the place to see if you could find that son of a bitch somewhere. You peeked through the open door you were standing next to and took a look around. You weren’t expecting your luck would be working today, but there he was. Cas standing across the parking lot. The boys followed behind on your heels when you began running up towards the angel.

“Cas! Oh, thank God.” You said with a sigh of relief. You had never been so happy to see him than right now. “What is all of this? What did Balthazar do to us?”

Cas was silent for a moment before answering your question. You furrowed your brow from how he was acting. “To keep you out of Virgil’s reach, he’s cast you into an alternate reality, a universe similar to ours in most respects. Yet dramatically different in others.”

“Like Bizarro Earth, right? Except instead of having Bizarro Superman we get this clown factory.” Dean said. He pointed around to all the shenagings you had been unwillingly dropped into. “And that pompous prick thinks him and Y/N are getting married.”

“Um…Yeah. Well…” Cas appeared rather confused at what Dean was going on about for a split second before he continued on with the conversation. “Anyway, no time to explain. Do you have the key?”

“Yeah. So,” You quickly fetched out the key from your pocket. You didn’t think much of it when your fingers accidentally brushed against his when you handed over the object to him. You swore for a split second the ends of his lips twitched into a smile before he returned to his same demeanor. “What does this thing do anyway?”

“It opens a room.” Cas said. You raised a brow from the lack of information. You asked him what was in this supposed room. “Every weapon Balthazar stole from Heaven. He gave it to you three to keep it safe, till I could reach you. With those weapons, I have a chance to rally my forces.”

"Oh, okay, good.” Sam said. “So now, what’s the deal with all this TV crap?”

“Pardon?” Cas asked.

“Amen, Padaleski.” Dean agreed with his little brother. 

“Lecki.” Sam corrected his brother on the pronunciation of his last name. Dean looked at the man with a slightly confused look. “Lecki. I’m pretty sure.”

“Man, they put out new pages?” Cas’ voice changed into one that sounded more normal, less gravelly from what you were used to. The brothers started to think the angel had gotten a sense of humor. Or he was trying to pull your leg. You, however, watched with a close eye as the man appearing to look like Cas cracked a smile as he loosed his tie. “Are you guys okay?”

“Give me that.” You demanded. You snatched the folded up papers from his hand as he began to unbutton his dress shirt. You skimmed the lines to see that it was a stupid script. The same one that you saw that Nate guy holding. “Damnit! These are words in a script. This isn’t Cas. Like Josh wasn’t Josh.” 

“But look at him.” Sam said.

“You guys wanna run lines or…”

“His name is Misha. Misha?” You repeated the name with more effort. Who the hell names their kid Misha? Someone with a mother who hates them. That’s who. You shoved the paper back to the man and snatched the key from him. “I’ll take this back. Thanks you very much.”

You were almost in the clear of getting out of here scott free without running into anymore idiots who thought you were someone else. But you weren’t that lucky. You huffed out a frustrated breath when you spotted him again in the crowd. Nate was coming your way, your supposed fiancé, with a smile on his face. You and the boys were forced to pretend to interact with these clowns for a few more seconds longer before you made your great escape. 

“Hey, glad I got everyone together. I was thinking we could get everyone together this weekend and have dinner at Y/F/N and our place. You know, catch up and all that.” Nate offered. He smiled at the four of you as if he was trying his hardest to extend an olive branch to the three men. Sam and Dean stared blankly at him. He looked to see that he wasn’t getting the response that he was hoping to have. He turned his attention to you as he placed his arm around your waist. You tried your hardest not to look uncomfortable. “Okay. I’ll see tonight, love. Don’t work to hard boys.”

You forced yourself to smile as you watched Nate finally began walking away and out of sight. You rolled your eyes from what was going on here and walked away first, suddenly needing to get out of here before something happened. The boys were about to follow in your lead, but they found themselves lingering around longer than they wanted around this Misha fellow from what he said next. 

“I don’t like that guy.” Misha mumbled. The boys exchanged a cautious glance at one another. They wondered if there was something was really going on here. Only it wasn’t what they thought. It was something far, far worse. Dean needed to get out of here. “I mean, what does Y/F/N see in Nate? He’s a total douche.”

Dean suddenly found himself needing to get out of here. He felt like his head was spinning in too many different directions to comprehend what was going on. He didn’t want to know the reality of this place. The boys caught up with you as you stood with your arms crossed over your chest and waited impatiently for them. As you were about to turn around and start walking again, you found yourself staring at this Misha fellow, who gave you a parting smile as he waved. You rolled your eyes and began walking again, hoping to find a way out of here before it was too late. Or you found out more information. Not to mention all these different names were starting to make your head hurt.

“Misha? Jensen? What’s up with the names around here?” Dean asked, seeming to share your same frustration.

"I would kill for a pair of ruby red slippers to get me out of this hellhole.” You grumbled. “Hell, I’ll dig my finger into my brain and scratch it until we’re back in Kansas.”

Not all hope seemed to be lost when Sam saw something that might be of actual help. “Hey.” He stopped in his tracks when he saw a trailer with a name. “Y/F/L/N.”

“That’s fake me.” You said. You read the name on the paper to see it was the one people were calling you by since you ended up in this place. Suddenly you felt giddy with what you might be able to find. “This must be fake mine.”

You and the boys headed up the steps to the trailer and opened up the door before heading inside. What you found exceeded any sort of expectation you had. What you stepped into wasn’t even a trailer at all. The furniture around the place was neat and comfy, there was a flat screen with a state of the art cable system. You felt your lips stretch into a smile at the sight of your favorite flowers sitting in the middle of the coffee table with a note neatly nested inside. You headed over as the boys looked around to see what this chick had. 

“Sweet, Y/N.” Dean found himself captivated by a toy that looked rather expensive. And with a bow attached onto of the propellers. Along with a note attached to the top for you to read first. “You have a helicopter.”

“Actually,” You ripped off the note and skimmed it to see that you weren’t the one who was gifted such a lavish toy to play with. Dean’s smile quickly vanished at the mention of a name that put a bad taste in his mouth. “This belongs to my fiancé, Nate Vaughn. For his quote, ‘marvelous work on his last movie.’”

“All right, who puts a three hundred gallon aquarium in their trailer?” Sam asked. He stood next to the tank that looked like it was fit into the place. All sorts of exotic and small fish swam around in their home. You shrugged your shoulders and turned around to see who these lovely flowers were from.

“Apparently Y/F/N Y/F/L/N.” You said. You grabbed the small envelope and began to open it up to see who it was from. Your brow furrowed slightly when you read the card quietly to yourself. “'To Y/F/N. Happy birthday to a special girl. Hope you like the flowers. Signed, Misha.’ Huh.”

Maybe you and this Misha guy were good friends. You dropped the note to the table and kept on looking around the place. Sam found your laptop and decided to try and take a crack at who this Y/F/N really was. She’s not a hunter, but she played one on TV. You looked around to see there was a few awards on the shelves, all in your name. You noticed a picture on the bottom shelf of a younger you with two older people. You furrowed your brow slightly when you realized they looked awfully like you. Were they Y/F/N’s parents?

Dean found a few magazines lying on the coffee table. He picked them up to see the first one was those seedy celebrity magazines in the grocery store checkout line. A headline to catch a person’s eye to learn more about the possible dirt that might be true. You turned your head to see your face was on the front cover. You were smiling while you were dressed in a pretty, but very expensive looking dress. You were happily embraced in Nate’s arm as he was dressed in a formal suit. Someone had edited the photo where it looked like the two of you were ripped in the middle to go along with the headline.

“Child star caught in the act! Y/F/N Y/F/L/N secretly cheating on soon-to-be hubby Nate Vaughn with 'Supernatural’ cast Jensen Ackles and Misha Collins two months before the wedding.”

You scoffed at the accusation that was being pinned against fake you. You ripped the magazine away from Dean’s hand and found yourself flipping through the magazine to see what it was all about. The magazine went on about you spend a little too much time with Dean’s actor while you were caught talking to this Misha guy, candid photos of you smiling and talking was their supposed evidence. You threw the magazine down and rolled your eyes. It seemed trash headlines followed you into this world, only you were apart of it.

“Well, look at these male-modeling sons of bitches and their counterpart.” It seemed Dean found something a little more frightening. He held up what appeared to be a Supernatural magazine. You were standing in the middle of the boys with a serious, almost sultry expression while the brothers did their best. "Nice blue steel, Sam.”

“Apparently it’s our job. But I found some stuff on this Y/F/N person. It says you’re from Y/H/C. And, uh…Oh.” Sam pulled up some website that told everything about where you were born to the show you were working on. He skimmed the information until he found something that was a bit interesting. He tried his hardest not to smile at what came up. You walked over to see what was making him smile like an idiot. “Looks like you’re a pretty successful actor.”

You made your way to the laptop see Sam pulled up an article with all information detailing your supposed past, along with horrifying pictures. The boys chuckled among themselves while Dean made a comment about how cute you looked in a photo of you that was dated from 1990. You grimaced in disturbance and quickly shut the laptop before a video Sam clicked on could load. You let out a sigh and shook your head from all this new information you were learning.

“Y/F/N Y/F/L/N is an Y/H/C actress that is known for her first debut appearance on the popular show, 'Star Search’ in 1989 when she blew judges away with her soulful voice and adorable dance moves. She moved onto acting in several commercials and a few recurring guest star appearances on popular sitcoms and small movie roles. She found stardom when she was cast as the lead role of the popular ‘Nancy Drew’ TV show adaptation, which ran for five seasons from 1996 to 2001 and concluded with a made for TV movie which aired in early 2002.

Y/F/N went on to act in several movies from 2003 to 2005 until she was cast as Y/N Y/L/N, a smart and sarcastic hunter who who travels across the country hunting monsters with her two best friends on the show, Supernatural. While the show hasn’t been popular with critics since its unexpected season five finale changes (the show creator intended to end at Swan Song where Sam Winchester goes to the cage, Y/N Y/L/N dies and Dean Winchester lives a normal life with Lisa Branden) that lead to a sixth season. Rating are lower than past seasons, but the show still holds as a fan favorite.

The show has been airing since 2005 and currently on its sixth season. It has been picked up for a seventh season, which will be airing in 2012. However, rumor has it that Y/F/N has yet to renew her contract to star in the next season due to ‘script differences.’

Fun fact! Y/F/N Y/F/N met her soon-to-be husband on the ‘Supernatural’ set when he was cast as the role of Josh Carver, a mysterious friend from Y/N’s past. The couple are set to be married in the summer among their 500 closest friends. Co-stars Jared Padalecki and Jensen Ackles are rumored not on the extensive guest list.

“I don’t like this universe, guys.” You said. “We need to get the hell out of here.”

“Yeah. No argument here.” Sam agreed. All of you wanted to get of this place, and back to your own world, yet it wasn’t going to be easy as you thought without some help. “But I don’t think our prayers are reaching Cas. Or the real Cas.”

“Well, I agree.” Dean said. “I think we are definitely out of soul-phone range. But…”

Dean got an idea when he headed back over to the coffee table, grabbing a pen and a notepad. You found yourself looking over to the TV. You watched as the three of you were playing out some scene. However Dean stopped for a moment to stare directly into the camera and give a sly wink. You leaned forward slightly in your seat to mock his move as you gave a terrible wink. Sam looked over his shoulder, now barely inches away from the camera lens, he gave his attempt at a wink, joining in the fun. You could see yourself letting out a laugh before you were waving your arm in the air, saying something like “focus.” The three of you returned back to this whole acting.

“If we can reverse Balthazar’s spell. I watched every move. If we just get the ingredients, right? Get back to that same window and…” Dean told you his plan as he took a second to draw something on the paper. When he turned the notepad around, your lips stretched into a smile at the sigil that he perfectly gotten right. “There’s no place like home.”

\+ + +

Dead sea brine, blood of lamb and the bone of a lesser saint. The three ingredients you needed to get you back home. Mix the sea bribe and pour about a mason jar size full of blood together in a bowl and crush the bone. The last step was the easiest. All you needed to do was find a window, paint the same sigil Balthazar and jump back into the universe where you were known as Y/N Y/LN. In retrospect it all sounded so easy. Was anything ever for you and the boys? No, it wasn’t.

You suggested getting the hell out of here and finding some place to lay low until you had a secure way of getting these precious ingredients. The boys had other ideas. They outnumbered you with the ingenious plan of going back to the scene of the crime. Surely a TV set was going to have real lamb’s blood and a human bone just lying around the place. You stood next to the broken window and watched as the boys rifled through drawers and overturned all sorts of objects. Dean was finding it hard to find that box of dead sea brine. Sam found success when he opened up the top drawer to Bobby’s desk and pulled out the same baggie Balthazar has searched for.

“Backbone of a lesser saint. Told you…uh,” Sam was about to speak the words of victory at what he was able to find. He lifted up to take a closer inspection at what he found. You crossed your arms over your chest and raised your brow. Quick as that smile grew on his face, the quicker it fell when he squeezed the supposed bone. “It’s plastic.”

“Check this out.” Dean found what looked to be a dagger and held it up for you and Sam to inspect. He bent the blade back and forth. It was easy because it was plastic. You found yourself smiling when Dean grabbed another knife, and without Sam suspecting it, he jabbed his brother with it. Sam flinched slightly, thinking it was the real thing. It wasn’t, of course. "It’s fake. It’s all fake!”

“No. Don’t listen to me. What do I know?“ You mocked the two of them. Your lips stretched wider into a smirk as the both of them went to look in your direction with annoyance. “Obviously more than you. Now, you idiots want to do this right or not? Let’s get the hell out of here.”

"Of course, everything is fake. We’re on a film set.” Sam said. You and the boys headed out of the set and back to the lot where you spotted all those Impalas. They looked real enough to work when you gave the suggestion of stealing one of them and riding off the lot. Nobody would question if a couple of actors wanted to take it for a spin. “We gotta get back to the real world.”

You and the boys got into the Impala like old times. The car seemed real enough and functioning just fine with the keys conveniently left in the ignition. When Dean turned it on, the familiar purr of Baby’s engine roared to life and the wipers worked just fine when they began to take off the layer of dirt caked on. What possible reason would Baby be covered in this kind of filth? You didn’t question it farther than that or cared when you started moving.

“All right, we go round up the genuine supplies, bring them here for the spell.” You said. Things were almost looking up…until the car started acting up. The Impala was barely round a corner and driving less than a minute before things started to happen. Dean couldn’t accelerate past five minutes an hour and the gears started to squeak slightly and groan. “What the hell is going on? What is wrong with this thing?”

“Mr. Ackles, please. Mr. Ackles, stop.”

You turned your head to the left side of the Impala when you heard knocking on the driver’s side window. Someone’s gloved hand wiped away the dirt so they could peer inside to see what all of you were doing. You saw a kid that looked no older than twenty frantically jogging to the speed the Impala was going. He must have been a crewmember trying to keep his job. You winced in embarrassment from what you had just done.

“Dean,” Sam broke the news to his brother. “It’s not the Impala.”

“You think? It’s a freaking prop. Just like everything else. Nice work, Nancy Drew.” Dean said. He threw his hands up in the air in frustration before slamming them down on the wheel. Your plan turned out to be a dud just like theirs. Dean shut off the engine and stepped foot out to be greeted by the kid, who was nervously mumbling thank you’s. The oldest Winchester wasn’t in the mood. If he was this supposed Jensen Ackles, star of this stupid show, he had a house. Which meant all of you could lay low there. “How the hell are we supposed to get out of here?”

The kid nervously smiled. He escorted you across the backlot where the three of you would be able to get off the set, properly. It was a matter of time until you were sitting in the backseat of the company car, squeezed between both boys after you insisted that you would be more than happy to carpool with them. Eco friendly was your excuse, a few crewmembers gave you a bit of a surprised look from what they saw. The backseat was rather roomy enough for the three of you. You could at least let out a slight sigh of relief from getting the hell out of that place.

“You know whereabouts you want to drop you off?” The driver asked from the front seat. You and the boys quickly stopped your whispered conversation and fell silent. “Jensen?”

“Me? Yes. Uh…” Dean found himself responding when you elbowed him in the ribcage when he was being addressed by his supposed real name. He tried to think of an answer when he looked over at his brother. “I—I’ll just tag along with, uh…Jared here.”

“Since when are you guys talking?” The driver asked, you furrowed your brow slightly from his question. You heard that a few times by passing, but it was the first time someone asked you up front.

“Yeah, you know what, Clint?” Sam spoke up. The driver corrected the younger Winchester by saying his name was Clif. You didn’t really care what his name was. “Yeah. Yeah, of course. Clif, obviously. So I think we’re gonna go back to my place…and uh, do some work.” 

“Work on our acting. For our characters. For the show.” Dean added. You shook your head from how much Dean was talking. Clif chuckled and seemed to believe the lie before focusing back onto driving. Dean looked out the window to see all of you were driving down a busy highway in the city. He asked where about all of you were, but he found his answer when he saw a Vancouver sign pass by. He sank back into his seat when he realized. “Dude, we’re not even in America.”

You turned your head to look at the older Winchester with a look of disbelief. “You honestly think that’s the worst of it?”

\+ + +

It was a short car ride until you and the boys were escorted to this supposed Jared Padalecki household. But to say that it was any other house would have been an understatement of the century. The three of you were stepping into a freaking mansion. At least three sizes bigger than your own home back in your universe. It seemed being on a not so popular TV show sure brought in the big bucks. You stepped inside the place with the boys leading the way. Each of you were taken back when you realized this all belonged to Sam—or Mr. Padalecki. And it was all of his to enjoy. You suddenly began to wonder what kind of place you called home.

“Nice modest digs, Jay-Z.” Dean remarked.

The first level of the house was nothing short of something out of an interior magazine for the rich and famous. High ceilings with dark wood paneling and floorboards that were so clean, it showed off your reflection. Along with furniture that was sleek and rather expensive looking. You were impressed, that was for sure. “Wow.” Sam gawked. “I must be the star of this thing.”

“Yeah, you wish.” You said. You wandered further into the mansion and examined all sorts of expensive and impressive looking things that decorated the place. While most of the stuff were paintings or useless knick knacks that served nothing more than to fill empty space, you found yourself a little baffled at what laid across the room. “Check it out.”

“What am I,” Sam was taken back at the sight of something that looked like an oversized and gray coffin. You stepped forward to take a closer look at it when you realized what it might be. “Dracula?”

You bent down and opened up the top to the thing to inspect it further, the boys discovered that it wasn’t a coffin, but in fact a tanning bed. You looked over at Sam when you started to chuckle at what you found. “George Hamilton Dracula.” You said, shutting the top. “I hope Jared realizes how bad tanning is for your skin.”

“He sure knows how to stock a bar. Now we’re talking.” Dean said. It didn’t take him long to discover an entire liquor cabinet stocked with all sorts of wine and whiskey calling his name. Dean walked over and happily began to fix himself a drink. You crossed your arms over your chest and continued looking around the place. All of a sudden, the three of you abruptly stopped what you were doing when you heard a yelping that sounded like it was an animal of some sort. Dean went to the door and peered outside to see what it was. “Dude, you have a camel in your backyard.”

“It’s an alpaca, dumbass.” You and the boys heard another voice come out of nowhere and corrected the older Winchester. You quickly looked over your shoulder and to the balcony on the second floor to see a face you hadn’t seen in what felt like years. Dean mumbled the woman’s name with a bit of surprised at who he saw in the flesh. He had killed her after what she did to all of you. Now she headed down the stairs, live and in the flesh, dressed like she was ready for a night out on the town. “Right. Cause that one never gets old. How was work today, hon?”

Sam didn’t know what to say. He watched as the woman he’d known as Rudy, demon who had turned his life upside down and released Lucifer from the cage. The one who was stabbed by his brother and left for dead in that church. She approached him and gave him a kiss on the lips. You slowly looked away from the woman to see there was Andy Warhol inspired artwork on the walls of not only Sam’s face, but Ruby’s face as well. You felt your lips stretch into a small smile from what was going on. Part out of slight fear from what you were finding more out about this universe, another part from finding this situation a little funny.

“Wait,” Dean couldn’t wrap his mind around the idea that his little brother and the actress who played Ruby were together. She didn’t look all that amused. “You and Ruby?”

“Do you honestly think that’s funny, Jensen?” She asked. It seemed this wasn’t the first time she heard this joke about being accidentally, or purposefully, being called by her character’s name from the look on her face. You gave her a smile when she looked in your direction.

“Right. Because you’re not Ruby. You…I mean, how could you be? You…of course, you are the lovely actress who plays Ruby. And you are in Jared’s house… because you two are…” Dean struggled to come up with a decent enough lie that sounded believable. He looked over to the mantle to see a picture of the beloved alpaca, along with a photograph of fake Ruby and Jared, happily embracing one another with a smile. You furrowed your brow when you saw she was in a wedding dress and Jared in a tux. “Married—You married fake Ruby?”

“What are you doing?” Fake Ruby asked. She obviously wasn’t believing a single word coming out of Dean’s mouth as she looked at the three of you with a bit of suspicion.

“Work.” Sam blurted out. “Work. Heh.”

“Yeah. Jensen and I wanted to stop in and say hey. Been a while since we’ve seen you.“ You spoke up. You rocked back and forth on your heels as you gave her a smile, attempting to pass off a decent lie before the boys could make even more of a complete fool out of themselves in front of her. "And maybe run some lines.”

Fake Ruby raised her brow from your excuse, “You two have never even been to our house.”

“Well, now that we know there’s an alpaca, we’re definitely coming back.” You said, nervously chuckling as you pointed a finger to the door. “Hell, I…I’ll even bring Nate the next time around. You know, my fiancé. Sure he’d love seeing that thing.”

“Well, alpacas are the greenest animal.” Fake Ruby said. Your lips stretched wider into a smile as you nodded your head from that useless fact you didn’t need to know. She pushed herself up to her feet as she took a seat on the arm of the leather couch. “Well, there’s that thing I have to get to. The International Otter Adoption charity dinner? Okay well,” She walked over to her husband and attempted to give him a farewell kiss for the evening. Fake Ruby found it a bit awkward when Sam tried his hardest to act normal as Dean averted his gaze while you tried to find interest in anything but the two of them. “Well, I’m glad you three are talking, anyway.”

The three of you watched as she began walking to the front door to attend her charity dinner, leaving you and the boys alone for the evening. You looked over at Sam with a small smile from what you just learned.

“You and Ruby, huh? Not bad.” You said. “I always thought you two were cute together.”

“Yeah.” Sam mumbled. You could see the ends of his lips stretching into a smile, seeming happy himself at how lucky of a guy Jared was. Fancy mansion, beautiful wife. Not to mention, an alpaca as a pet. What more could a guy ask for? Sam’s smile dimmed for a moment when he realized one crucial thing. “I should figure out her name.”

\+ + +

You and the boys found yourselves in the library part of the Padalecki mansion. Sam occupied the desk while you and Dean sat across from each other at the poker table. Searching the name of Jared’s wife was all too easy. Ruby 2.0 was played by a woman named Genevieve Cortese. Both of them were married last February. The internet was great for finding all sorts of useless information. While it was easy to find a name, what was presenting to be a challenge was trying to find a bone of a lesser saint. You weren’t having any sort of luck after searching for almost an hour. It seemed it was gonna be trickier than you thought.

You let out a sigh and moved your eyes away from the laptop screen to give yourself a break Sam was diligently working at the desk, hard at work like usual. You looked away from him and to the photograph on the wall above him to see what it was. You furrowed your brow slightly to see that it was a portrait of him when he was a few years younger, dressed in a cowboy hat while riding a horse. You didn’t even want to know the origin of it. Or why someone would put that up in their study.

“‘Wrist bone of a saint and holy reliquary. Museum-quality from diocese in Oaxaca.’” Sam said. It seemed his luck was better than yours. He found exactly what all of you needed. “Seems legit.”

“All right. Auction house is in Mexico City. Could be there day after tomorrow.” Dean said. He was thinking back to his old ways as a hunter. Steal what you needed and get the job done. “We case it, yank it, be back here by the end of the week.”

“Or we could just by it.” Sam suggested.

“What?” You scoffed at his plan. You pushed yourself up to your feet to take a look at this bone. You read the price tag and let out a low whistle from how much it was. “Dude, that thing is over a hundred thousand dollars. It cost more than my house—” You were cut off when you saw Sam pull out a credit card with the shining words of platinum membership. Your lips stretched into a smirk when you realized that all of you were supposed to be actors. Rich actors. “Hello, Jared Padalecki.”

You and Sam got to work with getting ahold of the bone. It took a few phone calls and your knowledge of basic Spanish to get ahold of the artifact. Dean to work on some other things you might need when he found his wallet had turned into all cards that were waiting to be spent.

“Triple rush? No problemo because money is no—” Dean grinned as he punched in the numbers of one Jensen Ackles’ credit card into the information. He hit the enter button and waited to be greeted with the news of his package being processed and delivered. Only that never happened. A small window popped up, informing him that his transaction had been declined. Dean chucked the card over his shoulder and fetched out another. “This baby is maxed.”

“Wow.” You mumbled. You ended the call and put the phone back on the hook. You stood there for a moment with a grin, feeling a little bit of an adrenaline rush from what you just did. You and Sam had just spent a hundred grand, just like that. No stealing, no long car rides. “They said it should be at the airport first thing in the morning.”

“Money, sweetheart.” Dean said with a smile of his own. “There is nothing like it.”

So far, so good. You began walking back to the table where the laptop was so you could do some research for your own enjoyment. Before you even got the chance to sit down, you heard the sound of phone going off and a vibration in your back pocket. You furrowed your brow and pulled out your phone from your pocket. You were expecting to see the same burner phone you’d been carrying around for months now. Instead it was a nifty looking, very expensive touch screen phones. You saw the contact name was “Future Hubby” with a familiar smiling face lighting up the screen.

“Crap.” You muttered underneath your breath. Dean glanced up from the laptop after he finished completing his purchase to see you suddenly looked like a deer in headlights. You contemplated on letting it go to voicemail or answer it. You weren’t yourself. You inhaled a deep breath and pressed the green button on the screen. “H-Hello?”

“Well, I guess I should’ve taken the hint. Surprise birthdays aren’t your thing.” You were greeted with the slightly familiar accent of Nate, your supposed fiancé, the actor who played Josh, from over the line. You furrowed your brow slightly from how he lead the conversation with. You stayed silent for a moment longer, unsure of what to say. “I know it was Macie who tipped you off. I’m sorry, okay? Please don’t give me the silent treatment, Y/F/N.”

“Uh, it’s okay?” You spoke again with something that sounded right for this situation. You shrugged your shoulders when the boys looked at you with slight confusion, wondering what the conversation was about. You heard Nate let out a sigh from the other line. A second later, he asked where you were. "I’m spending some time at Jared’s house with Jensen. You know, my coworkers.”

“You three have never spoken a single word to each other for long as I’ve known you.“ Nate said. You heard it again, this supposed relationship with your coworkers seemed rocky. "Well, I hope you’re having fun. What time are you coming home? It’s getting late. And you know you have to be at the studio early tomorrow.”

“Right. ‘Cause I’m an actor. And that’s what we do.” You mumbled underneath your breath. It sounded sarcastic and snarky to you, like someone who hated their job. That’s how Nate took it.

“I know you don’t like this season. And I know you’re still angry about having to turn down that role because the show got picked up for another season. But you’re luckier than most actors to have a job for this long. And you did enjoy the show at one point.” Nate said. “Look, why don’t I come pick you up? It’s been a long day.. Nothing a long bath and a good night’s rest can’t fix for tomorrow’s trouble.”

“No, no.” You said, trying to back out of his suggestion. All of you were so close to getting the hell out of here. What you needed was to stay put for the night before going back to your own universe. “That’s okay—“

Before you could try and change his mind, you heard defeat from the dial tone, signaling the end of the conversation. You cursed underneath your breath and shoved the phone back in your pocket. Guess it was time to do a little acting of your own.

\+ + +

You had never felt out of place than you did right now. You sat in the passenger side of the car that supposedly belonged to you, Nate in the driver’s side as the both of you drove down the highway with the radio quietly playing. You smiled when he spoke to you and tried to give answers that sounded right. So far the only things that Nate asked you about was work. You looked out the window and watched the city of Vancouver come closer in your direction. In the matter of minutes, you and him were pulling up to a large building. You noticed that it was an apartment building, doorman and marbled lobby included.

“Wait,” You stopped Nate from unbuckling his seatbelt and getting out of the car when you pointed to the building he parked in front of. “Is this where we live?”

"Yeah. For the past three years. Top floor. You insisted on us buying it when you saw the view of the city. And you wanted to be close to work. Since you loved your job at one point.” Nate said. His lips stretched into a smile from how you were acting. “Also the house in the Hamptons, the house in L.A. and my flat in London. Also that little place in New York we were thinking about buying after the wedding’s over.”

You could feel your lips stretching into a smile at what you were being told. A sweet penthouse on the top floor, a few other properties and a sweet car like this? Jared Padalecki must have got nothing on you. The both of you stepped out of the car and headed to the revolving door. The doorman smiled and greeted you as Y/F/N when you passed by. You reminded yourself to smile and went on your way. You stepped into the elevator and watched as Nate pushed the button for the top floor and then inserted a key. You pulled out your phone went you felt it go off again.

 

How’s the high life treating Y/F/N Y/F/L/N?

You felt your lips stretched into a smile when you saw that it was a text from Dean, even though the contact said it was Jensen. Amazing. Someone’s got a top floor penthouse, house in the Hampton's AND L.A., along with a flat in London. I’ll meet you tomorrow at the—You were busy concentrating on composing a text to Dean, you didn’t realize you were up at your level already until you heard the elevator doors open. When you glanced up for a quick moment, you found yourself doing a double take at the sight of your penthouse. All of yours to do what you wanted.

You quickly shut your mouth before you could do anything that riled suspicion. If you thought Jared Padalecki had good taste, Y/F/N’s was even better. You stepped out of the elevator and into your penthouse that looked straight out of your dreams. Everything looked like a perfect mix of your taste along with a modern feel. You examined everything, from the paintings on the walls to that view of the city. There was an entire wall that was just a window, overlooking the sight of the city at night. You found yourself standing there for a moment, watching as the night unfolded beneath your feet.

In this universe, all of this was yours. And you were more than happy to stick around for a little longer to enjoy. But there was one thing that you could have done without.

“Happy birthday, love.” You found your concentration broken away from the sight when you felt a pair of arms wrap around your body from behind. You realized it was Nate. You looked down to see there was a small rectangular box. You hesitantly tried not to pull away from his embrace. Instead, you grabbed the box and opened it up. You felt yourself letting out a slight gasp at what you saw. It was a diamond necklace. Encrusted with too many to count. They shined underneath the light. "For the wedding. I know you’ve been wanting to keep with tradition. That saying—what is it. Something borrowed, something new. And I know you’ve been eyeing this for a while. Said it would look good with your dress.”

“Oh my….this looks expensive.” You found yourself blurting out the first thing that came to mind. When you realized what you just said, you felt your cheeks burn and turned around to face your supposed fiancé. “I mean, not that it’s beautiful. It is—“

It seemed your reaction was what Y/F/N would have done when Nate broke out into a smile and chucked quietly. “I know. But you only get married once.“ Nate said, shrugging his shoulders at what he did for his future wife. "And I wanted to do things right. Treat you like the queen that you are. Unlike what happened with your last engagement.”

You looked up from the necklace from what you heard him say, “My last engagement?”

Nate’s face dropped slightly when he realized what he said. He let out a sigh and winced at the sore remark that came out the wrong way. "I know you don’t like talking about it. I shouldn’t have said anything. I don’t want what we have to disappear.” He said. You gave him a smile, as if you were reassuring him that everything was fine. That what you had with him was great. “I was gonna wait until the day of the wedding to give it to you. But when I heard you and Jensen were hanging out after shooting, I got a bit…jealous.”

You refrained yourself from asking anymore questions. You shut the box and looked around the penthouse once more before back to Nate. “You know, I think I’ll take that bath now.”

“Sounds like a plan.” Nate agreed. You tried your hardest not to slap his hands away when they greedily wrapped around your hips. You pretended that he was Dean. That all of this was for the two of you. “I’ve got your favorite champagne chilling. Get yourself nice and naked and I’ll bring you a glass.”

You smiled and mumbled a thank you, watching as Nate turned around and headed for the kitchen. You tightened your grip around the box and tried to find your way around the place until you found the bathroom after you accidentally stumbled upon every other room. And you were even more impressed. You were still grinning at the sight of your walk in closet, decorated inch by inch with designer clothes and shoes that you could only dream of. Along with jewelry that sure didn’t look like costume stuff. Not to mention the wedding dress that you found hanging up. You never pictured yourself walking down the aisle, but when you laid eyes on it, you couldn’t get the image out of your head.

Soon enough, you found yourself naked as the day you were born, soaking in a tub that could fit two extra people, drinking champagne and covered neck to toe in bubbles. You were alone with the door lock, an ice bucket with an open bottle of champagne and expensive looking chocolates (a supposed gift from someone you never heard of) at your disposal. Nate said that he was going to bed, giving you some much needed privacy. With one hand holding a glass and the other your phone, you did a quick Google search before your eyes began reading the first headline that popped up.

You let out a quiet chuckle from what you read. It seemed no matter what universe you were in, you and Dean somehow found your way together. The headlines that you found were about you two being previously engaged when the once popular show “Supernatural” started. But it was you who called it off right before season two started shooting. It was only a month after that when Y/F/N started dating Nate, and a few years later, the happy couple was engaged to be married. Costars Jensen Ackles and Jared Padalecki not included.

You put the phone down somewhere safe and refilled your glass. When you got comfortable, you found yourself staring at the window of the city and thinking. God forbid if you and the boys were to stay in this universe, maybe it wouldn’t be so bad. Ditch Nate for Dean, run away together somewhere nobody knew you and put that wedding dress to good use. Of course, the possibilities of that ever happening in your universe were the chances of you owning a place like this

You let out a sigh and brought the drink back up to your mouth to take a long and much needed drink. Tonight you weren’t going to play anyone. You were just another person in the billions of others that populated this universe You were going to soak in this tub for long as you wanted and enjoy yourself. Tomorrow you were going to be Y/N Y/L/N again. Like how it should be.

You lowered yourself into the tub and shut your eyes. However…Y/N Winchester did have a good ring to it. You brought up your left hand and examined the diamond engagement ring that you found sitting on the nightstand. You put it on for fun, but you found yourself staring at it, wondering what would it be like if it were on your finger all the time. How Dean would try and propose to you. All things that were a mere fantasy that came out of nowhere when you saw that dress and put on this ring you would have to return tomorrow. But it made you wonder if there would ever be a time where you and him could change things up a bit in your world.

Perhaps one day you could….maybe.

\+ + +

You didn’t get a single ounce of sleep. You found yourself wandering the penthouse that you supposedly owned and drinking the rest of the champagne on your own. Nate retired to bed a little after you emerged from the bath. He was passed out cold. You found a prescription for sleeping pills next to his beside. It seemed your supposed fiancé was an insomnia sufferer, which was good on your part. He wasn’t going to stir awake when you started to peak around the place for your own amusement.

You went back to the closet and rifled through all sorts of pajamas that were either pure silk or some other material that felt like Heaven on your skin. It seemed Y/FN had kept stock plenty of that, along with some tasteful lingered. You picked out ones that felt the most luxurious for the hell of it. It wasn’t like you were going to get the chance to do this again.

Looking at your surroundings that were all yours to do whatever you wanted with for the next few hours, it was like a nightmare that all of a sudden into a dream. You were standing in a piece of property you would never be in again, drinking champagne that was probably hundreds of dollars and dressed in silk that felt like nothing you ever had on your body before. You knew you had to leave by tomorrow, and you didn’t care. But you wanted to know what kind of life Y/F/N lived.

The penthouse was decorated in photographs of a smiling couple that seemed in love and a family of people that loosely resemble you. You spent some time Googling people to see who they were from this Jensen and Jared, to the Misha guy that who played Cas. Who you ended with was Y/F/N. Turns out, she wasn’t that bad of a person. Child actor turned success in her teens. Participated in a lot of charities for endangered animals, troubled youth and body positive. And while she gave back a lot to the charity, she had the budget for it. The three main actors for “Supernatural” made an obscene amount of money for each episode. Right as the show was about to end, Y/F/N was in talks of signing a multi-million dollar contract for some franchise. Only everything went up in smoke when the show got unexpectedly picked up.

You scoffed and brought the drink back to your lips to take another drink. Hell, if you were close to that kind of paycheck, you’d be a bit bitter too. What made you curious most of all was why you and you costars never talked. You did a bit more research and read a few articles. Most of them were gossip columns speculating about what might have happened. A few guessed it was because of the break up. Y/F/N moved on from Jensen, whom you’d been dating for a few years before the show started and got engaged for a short time. Until someone named Nate Vaughn came into the picture.

You let out a sigh and clicked on another article, refraining yourself from reading about some soap opera love life Y/F/N lived. So she went on from one guy to another. You were about to exit all together out of the browser, until a headline caught your attention. “Supernatural Season Six: What’s Next For Fans.” Yes, what is?

“Saving people, hunting things. It’s the motto fans of the popular show, ‘Supernatural’ know well for the past six seasons. The show is about two brothers, Sam and Dean Winchester, who travel across the country with their best friend, Y/N Y/L/N, looking for cases and murders with an eerie paranormal touch to them. But it’s not always about taking down a spirit or a wendigo and saving the day. These hunters have their own set of demons they must face along the journey. What once started as a weekend trip following a goose chase for the Winchester’s absent father spirals into a journey that unravels with suspenseful twists over five seasons that has left viewers wanting more adventures with Y/N and the Winchesters brothers.

The creator, Eric Kripke, however, was set to end things after one hundred and five episodes with the infamous finale ‘Swan Song.’ The tearjerker would have left fans with a grim conclusion for their favorite characters. Sam throwing himself in the cage to endure an eternity (and then some) with Lucifer and Michael. Y/N finally turning human after attempting to break the bond with Lucifer by stabbing herself with Ruby’s demon knife. Only her sacrifice would end her life and die in Dean’s arms. (We admit it. We bawled our eyes out at that scene. And then some.) 

Fan favorites Bobby Singer and Castiel were left for a tragic end after they were picked off by Lucifer minutes before the finale concluded. The only survivor to step out of the cemetery would have been Dean. The finale might be bitter, but it wrapped up loose ends fans would be left to wonder after the title card came up. However—in a surprise twist of events—executives decided that just because the apocalypse business was over, doesn’t mean the Winchesters and Y/N’s story was.

Season six has…its ups and downs. The story line goes with Sam and Y/N coming back from the cage a year later. Dean, who had spent that time trying to live a normal life with Lisa Braden and her son, is shocked to see his brother and best friend live and in the flesh. The story unfolds with familiar faces and insight to Mary Winchester’s side of the family, the Campbells—which Sam and Y/N have been hunting with. Here comes a twist everyone saw coming—Sam and Y/N have been alive for a year. And been doing a lot more than hunting on the side. (Wink. Wink.)

However, not all is perfect for the Winchesters and Y/N. Is it ever? Sam came out of the cage without his soul which leads to a somewhat overdrawn story arc of retrieving it from Crowley, the now pronounced King of Hell. Over several episodes and a deal with Death himself, Sam is fixed up and back to somewhat normal. But in the style of the show, fans aren’t holding their breaths for a happily ever after for Sammy. And he isn’t the only one with effects of the cage.

Y/N has had her share of problems over the years. Being born out of a demon deal and finding out her own mother sacrificed her father’s own soul for more years. (Only to get her face scratched in by Azazel himself. Karma’s a bitch, Ella.) Being the Frankenstein project of Lucifer’s imagination and the reason he’s allowed to roam free on earth. You think the cherry on top the situation would be finding out Y/N is a half demon. But it comes as the reincarnation of a woman named Katerina Lucifer and Michael once loved. However, fans speculated that Y/N came out of the cage human after her treacherous attempt to do so. So far, it seems to be true.

Actress Y/F/N Y/F/L/N has hinted that fans can expect more to the health scare story line brought up in episode seven, ‘Family Matters’ when Y/N suffers from what she believes to be a medical condition called absence seizures. The condition causes the person to zone out into space for a few minutes, or, in severe cases, black out and suffer short term amnesia.

Fans will be overjoyed to see the return of Josh Carver (played by Nate Vaughn) who returns after his last appearance in the first episode of season four to help out Y/N and the Winchester boys with the Mother of All. And another problem fans have yet to discover. Even Y/N herself.

‘[Nate] will not be the only familiar face coming back this season,’ Y/F/L/N hinted. ‘A certain someone—or should I say something—will be making an appearance in the last few episodes. And for the last time, I might add.’”

You found yourself reading the last few paragraphs of the article a few more times to understand what all of this meant. You found yourself reaching for the phone that wasn’t yours and calling up the boys for them to hear what you just read. But you found yourself suddenly stopping. What did any of this even mean? A thing coming back from your past? What did they mean when you supposedly came out of the cage human? Of course you did.

And what troubled you most of all was that health scare they were talking about. You went to so many different doctors, and even they were still left clueless. What if this was some weird way of looking into the future of the life you were about to go back to tomorrow? Or…

You calmed yourself down with the reassuring thought that all of this was probably just some attempt at glamorizing your boring life. You scrolled down to the comments to see a few users were complaining how boring the season was and how the writers weren’t delivering what they were promising. One mentioned about where the hell the whole story for Y/N’s father, Andrew, went. You stopped for a moment and thought about that for a moment. You didn’t know, you didn’t care. You let out a sigh of relief. Feeling a little more at ease, you clicked off the article.

\+ + +

The next morning you were dressed back into your own clothes and nearly out the elevator doors before the sun even rose. Nobody was up at this time. Except for those who were crazy enough and people who wanted to get back to their own damn universe. You hit the button for the bottom floor and was all set to dash, but you flinched when you heard the sound of a familiar name echo from the hall.

You turned your head to see it was Nate. He must have just rolled out of bed from his hair all a mess and eyes squinted from the light you accidentally left on before trying to dash. You tried to hide your nervousness behind a warm smile to greet your supposed fiancé.

“Hi, honey.” You greeted the stranger with a little too perky of a voice. You wondered if this universe loved to work against you like yours did. “What are you doing up so early?”

“I could ask you the same thing. You’re never up at this time. Usually I have to pry you out of bed with coffee and money.” Nate said. You shrugged your shoulders and mumbled an excuse that you needed to be at the studio early. He didn’t believe it. “At six in the morning? You don’t go in until after nine.”

“Well, I’m turning over a new leaf.” You lied. You roughly shoved your index finger against the button, thinking that was going to make the elevator move faster. “I really want to you know…get more serious about my job. You know? Become Y/N. Turn into her.”

You turned your head to look over at Nate when he grew silent. You expected him to look at you like you were talking out of your ass, which you were. But it seemed he was happy to see you sounding so positive about your job. “That’s what I’ve been trying to tell you. There was one point where you loved your job. And she’s coming back.” Nate said. You gave him a forced smile as you nodded your head, pretending like you understood what he was saying. “I’m proud of you, babe.”

"Thanks.” You mumbled. You stepped into the elevator when the doors finally opened. You turned to face the man that might be your future husband in this universe, but in yours, he was one of your closest friends back home. And you were going to go back there. “If all goes well, I’ll be proud of myself, too. And my bozo I call my boyfriend and his brother.”

Nate furrowed his brow, “Wait. What did—” Before he could ask you to repeat what you said, the doors shut. You let out a chuckle and pulled out your phone, texting Dean of his whereabouts.

\+ + +

You arrived back at the studio about an hour after you left your apartment in the city. It took you almost a half an hour of trying to figure out where it was by fighting with the GPS setup in the car. You had another delay with morning traffic. But you managed to get there in one piece. You smiled at security when you parked the car belonging to Y/F/N wherever you wanted and snuck inside to the nearly abandoned set. You were surprised to see the boys were here before you. And with all the supplies you ordered last night. Like they promised, it was here on time. It was going to be hard giving up this lifestyle you only got a taste of. The money part was nice, you could do without your entire life being made into some sort of entertainment.

“Well, about time someone showed up.” Dean said. You narrowed your eyes on the man from his remark about your tardiness as you approached the both of them. You set down the bag you snagged from Y/F/N’s closet and looked around at the supplies all of you were about to work with. Dean noticed that the bag wasn’t the only thing you came with. “Are you seriously wearing that thing? Don’t you think it’s gonna weigh you down?”

“What? Oh, this.” You always loved to tease him. You eyed the diamond ring on your left hand that you accidentally forgot to take off before arriving. You were in such a rush to leave without Nate noticing, you forgot to take off the engagement ring that was meant for someone else. You began to play with the ring and looked over at Dean, a smirk spreading across your lips. You knew him too well. He was getting a little…jealous. "Got to make people believe that we’re the real deal. Now, you boys wanna go home or spend a day playing a bunch of overpaid actors playing ourselves?”

The boys didn’t need to think too long about the answer. Dean got to work on opening the box and Sam fetching a bowl from the shelf to mix the ingredients. All of you thought that you would have at least enough time to do what you needed and get back home. But no matter where you went, things never worked out in your favor. The three of you froze in your spot when you saw the studio lights around you began to slowly turn on. You flinched in frustration at the sound of a voice approaching the set, discussing today’s plans.

“We finish in twelve hours if it kills us all. Get A and B cam for scene twelve. Oh, what is this?” You looked over your shoulder to see two of the guys from yesterday stumble upon a sight that was unusual for them. Three actors that wouldn’t caught be dead with one another while the cameras weren’t rolling. Not to mention, being on time was another red flag. “Here for the first run-through before anyone else? Dedication.”

You grabbed the box from the desk and threw the strap of your bag over your shoulder, leaving the boys to do all the talking. You huffed out a breath of frustration and took a seat on a chair labeled with your name. You set down the box onto the one labeled Jensen and sat down. You watched as the boys tried their hardest to bargain some time away from what you were guessing was the director. You had a feeling things weren’t going to end well from the lack of words either one of them were getting in.

“Ooh. Priority.” You heard a voice coming from behind you. You looked over to see that it was the guy who played Cas, the actor that had a funny name. You watched as he took a seat behind you, covering up his name before you could read it to remember. He eyed the open package with curiosity. “What’s in it?”

You draped your arm over the side of the chair and gave him a smile, “Marsha…”

“Misha.” He corrected you.

“Right.” You said, not really caring. “I bought part of a dead person.”

“Uh,” Misha nodded his head. You watched as his gaze returned back to the box for a second before returning his attention back to you. “Cool.”

You faced forward in your chair again when the boys came walking up to you. You raised your brow to hear what they had to say. Sam was growing nervous as Dean flashed you a smile. “Uh, so,” Dean nervously chuckled. Your expression began to slowly drop when he told you the news. “Looks like we’re gonna have to do a little acting.”

This was the beginning of a terrible, awkward tragedy you were about to witness. Never in your entire life have you felt cringe mixed with fear. You and the boys were thrusted into the spotlight and forced to go along with this little show. You thought that, maybe, it wouldn’t be so bad. The characters you were playing was yourselves. All you had to do was subtly play along and try to remember the few lines of dialogue they gave you for reference. Not to mention, as a hunter you were always playing a role to get a job done. You honestly thought it wasn’t going to be that bad. Oh, how wrong you were. When the clapperboard hit, all hope went out the window.

“Balthazar is no hero. But he knew Raphael will never take him back.” Misha, the actor who played, Cas read off his lines and followed the markers taped on the floor. He turned around and faced the three of you, knowing it was supposed to be Dean’s turn to deliver his line.

You turned your gaze over to Dean to see how he was doing. You’d never seen him so tense and awkward before in your life. His shoulders were tensed up and eyes subtly bulging out of their head. You watched as he took his cue to move where he was supposed to, but he missed it by standing right next to it. You subtly cleared your throat and nodded your head to the direction he was supposed to go. Dean followed your cue, but the director didn’t think it was all that good. He yelled cut on the first take, deciding to go again. And again. And again…

Eight takes of the same scene and it still wasn’t getting any better. If it wasn’t Dean looking like a tensed up deer in headlights, it was Sam who was awkwardly shuffling around in his spot. He tried to figure out what to do with his arms while the scene played out. Dean managed to catch on to where he was supposed to go after the forth take. He was getting better at delivering his lines, but he read the entire part of the script. But your huffs and eye rolls weren’t helpful.

Sam tried his hardest to act normal. His line was, “If there’s a key, there must be a lock.” Pretty simple. No, it wasn’t. He had no idea where to put his arms to look natural as he stepped forward for what felt like his thousandth take. A few of the times you accidentally burst out laughing from how his arms were stretched out so stiffly in front of him to display the prop key. You managed to compose yourself and let him speak the rest of his lines. But his delivery was just as a fail and a stumbling mess. “And when we find the lock, we can get the weapons. Then we can have the weapons. And the lock. We’ll have a lock, I imagine…because we opened it up and the key that open—”

“We need to get all of that crap.” Dean suddenly spoke up on top of his brother. You looked over at the man with a confused expression, wondering why all of a sudden he was speaking in such a growly tone of voice. He looked in your direction when you raised your arms. He nodded his head to the actor who played Cas. “That’s how he does it.”

“Oh my God! This is so freaking stupid!” You found yourself yelling on the top of your lungs from frustration. You stepped forward to the window and to the crowd of a half dozen people that was watching this train wreck unfold. “Do we really need all these lines? I mean, I think we covered it. Barely. Can we get like a five minute break or something?”

You threw the director a threatening glare to give you what you wanted. It seemed your request worked. He shouted cut for what felt to be the thousandth time today. You and the boys retreated back to the other spot on the sets while everyone was left to whisper what sort of atrocity was happening today.

You roughly shoved the box into Sam’s arms for him to hold as you tried your hardest to compose yourself. Dean skimmed through the script to see what else sort of disaster was awaiting for the three of you. You rolled your eyes and placed your hands on your hips. Misha, who sat quietly behind the three of you, didn’t miss an opportunity to take a behind the scene photos his Mishamigos would get a real kick out of.

“Who wrote this?” Sam asked. He took a look at the script himself to see that not only was the dialogue was atrocious, but the words they were throwing around made no sense. “Nobody says ‘penultimate.’”

“Gun, mouth, now.” Dean said. He made a subtle gesture with his fingers to prove his point. You rubbed your temples from a sudden headache that was starting to form out of nowhere. A voice from across the studio shouted that all of you were moving on. “Thank, God.”

The boys pushed themselves out of their chairs and followed hot on your heels when you bolted for Bobby’s library that was now abandoned from any crew members. Misha took the time to compose a tweet to his followers. “I-M-H-O…Y/F/N and the J squared team had a late one last night. R-O-T-F-L-M-A-O.”

Everyone thought you and the boys were going crazy. They didn’t know what was worse, all of you getting along together or the fact that you couldn’t deliver your lines to save your lives. Some thought it was drugs, your costar Misha suspected you were smuggling organs from the black market. You focused on getting the ritual just right so you could get out of this hellhole they called acting. You mixed the ingredients together and then watched as Dean painted the sigil on the window. All of this trouble for one simple little finger painting.

“That’s it?”

“That’s it, Dorothy and Toto.”

You let out a breath and looked over at Sam. Guess this was it. You and the boys got in the position that would work best and counted down to three before you went running to the window. The boys went first, managing to jump through the glass of the window. You weren’t so lucky. You found yourself heading face first into the wood beam on the window. You weren’t strong enough to break it, making you whack it with full force before stumbling backwards and back down to the ground. The boys landed flat on their faces in a mess of broken glass and hard concrete.

"Ah, damn it.” You groaned. You found yourself rolling around side to side on the ground in an attempt to push yourself up in an sitting position. You managed to do so when the pain began to subtly go away. "Next time we do this, pick a better window.“

You and the boys picked yourselves up from your failed attempt at trying to get back home, not understanding how it didn’t work. You were so careful to do exactly what Balthazar did. All of you headed back to Y/F/N’s trailer to try and come up with a better idea. If there was one. You sank down into a seat and let out a sigh. Partly out of frustration, some out of relief from not having to move your bruised knee.

“Maybe we did it wrong.” You said, trying to give some hope that there was still a way out.

“No, that spell was perfect.” Dean said. You propped an elbow up on the table and rested your head in the palm of your hand to look in his direction. “It should have worked.”

“What if it can’t?” Sam asked. You furrowed your brow when he proposed a question you didn’t really want to think about. “Look, I was up all night, looking online. There is no sign that anything like the apocalypse happened here. Ever. And as far as I can tell, monsters, ghosts, demons, they’re all pretend.

“So there’s nobody hunting them?” Dean wondered.

“No hunters.” Sam said. You looked over at Dean from what his brother was saying. Maybe it was a possibility all of you were going to be stuck here. Forever with no way out. “Maybe that’s why our spell didn’t work, guys. Maybe here, there’s no supernatural, no magic.”

“No demons, no hell, no heaven. No God? Huh.” You mumbled. You leaned back in your seat and began to subtly play with the engagement ring on your finger that you forgot to take off. You could see one or two silver linings to this situation. “No heaven means no angels.”

You and the boys knew that you couldn’t stay here forever. You got back up and decided to try and figure a way out of here. First would be the set before trying to ditch this entire place for good. All of you were now back on set, trying to find an exit, but all you were doing was getting lost. You passed by a couple of stunt doubles that were practicing fight scenes. You scoffed and followed behind the boys, who was making their way to what looked like the sewers you’d been in while hunting a couple of dragons that were kidnapping a bunch of virgins. You had a feeling this was an episode on the show. You guessed a proper title for such a crappy episode, “Like a Virgin” was probably going to be a possibility.

“Maybe we can’t get out of Earth Number Two right now, but the least we can do is get the hell out of the Canadian part.” Dean grumbled. “If I hear one more conversation about hockey, I’m gonna puke.”

"I’ve got a few suggestions. Y/F/N’s got a place in the Hamptons, L.A., and London if you feel like jumping on a plane.” You suggested a possible way out if they wanted to get serious. You thought you had a faint idea of where this place might lead you and the boys. “This way, guys.”

“No, no, no.” Dean said. He stopped in his tracks and pointed straight ahead. “It’s this way.”

“No, I really think we should–” You didn’t listen to what Dean had to say, you went on your way, thinking that it was going to lead you to a way out of this maze. But you found yourself stopping dead in your tracks when you heard Sam shout his brother’s name in a panicked tone. You quickly made a sharp right when you saw a corner. You ran to see that it lead directly to where Dean was going. You stumbled upon the sight of Virgil, the angel who tried to kill Balthazar. He tried to burn Dean’s eyes straight out of his skull, but lucky for you, he was human like the rest of you. “Sorry, bud. Mojo-free zone.”

You happily swung your arm back and punched him straight in the face when he looked in your direction. You watched as he stumbled from the impact. “Oh, what’s wrong, Virgil?” You taunted him. You didn’t hesitate throwing another punch when he got himself back up to a standing position and tried to take you on. “Missing a little something extra?”

You and the boys didn’t hesitate ganging up on an angel that was now just like the rest of you without his grace. Sam managed to grab Virgil by the arms so you and Dean could take turns throwing punches. To you, this was rightful behavior. However, when a few wandering eyes noticed three actors beating up an extra, they didn’t seem to like it.

Before you could throw another punch, you felt someone grab a hold of you, dragging you away from Virgil. A few others grabbed of the boys to stop the fighting. They tried to explain this highly strange situation while you yelled threats at Virgil. You watched him get away from you, along with something else that wasn’t his. Something that you promised to keep on to.

“Virgil broke through, maybe he’s got a way to get back.” Dean said. All of you were now away from the set you were thrown off from because of your disruptive behavior. You looked around the place you wandered off to with the boys, wondering where the hell that son of a bitch went.

“Or he has no juice here, and now he’s stuck, like us.” You guessed. “Either way, he’s still here. And I wanna finish kicking his ass.”

All of you searched up and down the entire studio to find out where Virgil might have ran off to. The place was only so big for someone to hide. He had to be around here somewhere, and you were going to find him if it was the last thing you did. It wasn’t going to be so hard to finish your business with him now that most of the crew had gone home for the night. But not everyone had decided to call it a wrap.

“There you are, guys. You got a minute?” It was the director from today. You furrowed your brow to see that he was sitting at Bobby’s desk, like he was waiting for all of you. Sam tried to make up an excuse to get out of here before being wrapped up in a conversation, but he was cut off when the director decided to take a hint. “Were you three looking for that extra you tried to kill? So, what is this all about? Is it money? Is this the kind of act that goes away if we can scare up coverage on a raise?”

“More money? You already pay these three jokers enough as it is.” Dean said. You agreed with him whole hardheartedly as you scoffed when you were reminded of their paycheck each of them took home after each episode.

“I’d like to think that over these years we’ve grown closer. That you don’t think of me as Director Bob or Executive Producer Bob Singer.” You found yourself looking back over at him when you heard him speak his full name, surprised to hear that it sounded awfully familiar to someone you and the boys knew back home. “But as Uncle Bob.”

“Wait, you’re kidding.” You said. “So the character on the show, Bobby Singer—he’s named after you? God, what kind of douchebag names a character after themselves? You know, it’s bad as this thing I found on the internet last night. Some idiot spends all her time writing out these show’s episodes. They’re like the books from back home. I mean, hours their day spent on just writing out the show part by part. She’s got like a hundred or so episodes done. They switch my character with the person reading it. It’s so weird.”

“Wait, what?” Dean asked.

“They basically have it where my character is the person who’s reading it the story. They fill in their name and the writer lets them picture themselves in the show. I forgot what the thing was called. Reader Insert something. Maybe it was self insert—I don’t know. It’s just weird.“ You said. "And talk about lazy writing. Am I right?”

“Okay, guys, let’s begin again.” Bob said. He pushed himself up from the desk and approached the three of you, breaking up the conversation about Virgil’s whereabouts. He slapped a hand on your back, getting your attention. “Guys. You can’t come to work on poppers. And smuggle kidneys in from Mexico. And make up your own lines as you go. You cannot make up your own lines. Good God, what about your careers?”

“You know what? Screw our careers, Bob.” Sam said, having had enough of playing along with this game. You nodded your head in agreement about this entire ordeal. You began to slowly pat around your pockets, wondering where you put the key again.

“You heard my brother. And that’s right, I said brother. Because you know what, Bob? We’re not actors. We’re hunters. We’re the freaking Winchesters. And she’s a freaking Y/L/N. Always have been and always will be.” Dean said. He decided to get a few things straight before all of you went off for good. “And where we’re from, people don’t know who we are. But you know what? We matter to that world. We even saved the son of a bitch once or twice. And yeah, okay, here, maybe there’s some fans who give about this nonsense. But, Bob Singer—if that is even your name—tell me this. What does it all mean?”

“Okay. This is good.” Bob said. You felt yourself beginning to panic when the key wasn’t in your jacket pockets or the front of your jeans. “I mean, we’ve all had our psychotic breaks, right? I can work with this.”

“Dean. I think Virgil has they key.” You suddenly blurted out in a panicked tone. Your last attempt at shoving your hands into your back pocket failed when nothing was there. This wasn’t good at all. You looked over to Bob and told him flat out how it was gonna be. “We quit.”

\+ + +

It wasn’t good knowing that Virgil had the key that you were supposed to be guarding. But you had hope this situation wasn’t going to turn out worse than it already was. There was a chance he was still stuck here with the three of you with no way of getting home. All you had to do was track him down, beat the crap out of him and take back what was rightfully yours. You and the boys decided to head back to Jared’s place in order to lay low for a while.

“Maybe we get in the police dispatch system we can put out an APB on Virgil.” You suggested a plan that might work. Since he was human like the rest of you, he couldn’t change bodies or pop his ass across the country. He was still stuck here with the rest of you. 

“Might work, if he stays obvious.” Dean said.

“Oh my God! Oh my God!”

You heard the panicked yells coming from just down the hall. You looked to see that it was Genevieve who was the one causing all the noise. She stood in the hall with mascara stained cheeks and a balled up tissue in one hand. It looked like she’d been crying. You noticed that she wasn’t alone. Nate was behind her, looking distressed from what was going on.

“Where the hell have you been, Y/F/N? I’ve been trying to call you.” Nate said. You furrowed your brow in confusion from what was unraveling right now. To them, this was a tragedy. To you, it made you wonder if Virgil was getting his hands dirty and making a trail for you to follow. “It’s Misha. He’s been stabbed to death.”

No matter where the boys were, they always found a way to speak at the same time. “Where?”

\+ + +

You and the boys managed to find the crime scene without any help from Genevieve or Nate, who looked at all of you like a bunch of psychos for wanting to know where your good friend and costar, Misha, was murdered just an hour ago. The poor bastard was found in the back of an alley with his throat slit clean. Lucky for you, a homeless man claimed to have witnessed everything. You passed by Misha’s dead body that remained on the ground, covered in a white sheet after the police took what photos they would need. But they couldn’t cover up the blood stain from his slit throat that was still slowly gushing away. You had to admit, even though he was annoying, you felt bad for having the man’s life cut short like this.

“Yeah, yeah. Raphael. Like the ninja turtle. He was calling someone named Raphael in heaven. The scary man killed the attractive crying man. And then he started to pray.” You and the boys spotted the homeless man who witnessed the murder give a statement to a detective. The three of you decided to ask him to repeat his story. But it seemed no matter where you went, people always were afraid to admit what they saw. “And the strange part…after a while, I swear I heard this voice answering.”

“What it’d say?” You asked the man in a serious voice. You gave him your full attention, giving him no indication you were going to laugh in his face like the detective had. He had doubts you and the boys were going to believe anything else that came out of his mouth.

“You know, it didn’t make any sense.” The man mumbled. You gave him a smile, telling him to try you. All of you heard a lot of crazy stuff over the past twenty four hours. What he was about to say probably would be the only thing you would be able to understand since landing in this mixed up universe. “The voice said for Virgil to return tomorrow at the place where he crossed over at the the time of the crossing. And Raphael would reach through the window and take him and the key home.”

You knew exactly what to make of what the man just said, and none of it left a good feeling in your stomach. You put on a smile for his cooperation and shoved a hand inside your pocket, pulling out some money for him. You pulled out what looked like a fifty in Canadian dollars and thanked him for his help. As he walked away, your smile slowly began to disappear and a sigh of frustration fell from your mouth. You should have known that goon was sent over by Raphael, the pain in your ass that was hellbent on kick starting the apocalypse all over again. No matter how many times you tried to put out the fire, he kept igniting it back up.

“Guys, if Virgil gets back with that key, Cas is dead and our world is toast.” Sam said. He tried painting you a picture of the grim reality of the consequences that would happen if none of you put a stop to this. You didn’t need to be told twice to go after Virgil and kick his ass.

“Well, then we stop him. I mean, how bad can an angel with no wings be?” Dean asked. You and the boys thought Virgil was just a plain old Joe like the rest of you. You thought that he was going to be an easy target to take down. And he might have been. But you forgot what humans will do in order to make themselves the most powerful one around.

\+ + +

You and the boys headed back to the studio after getting some helpful insight from the homeless guy that was now fifty bucks richer. It was a waiting game now for what was to come. You sat yourself down on the ratty old couch that you spent so many days before in another universe, discussing conversations about hunts or the end of the world that you tried to stop. Now it was just a prop, useless like the rest of the junk in this place. The three of you were silent for a little while since you arrived, trying to keep out for anything that might tip off Virgil’s whereabouts. If he wanted to leave with the key, he’d have to come back here. 

You looked down at your hand to see you were still wearing the ring that was supposed to belong to Y/F/N, a woman you were pretending to be over the past twenty four hours since you were thrown into this disaster. She was the well-established actress that played you, with two parents and engaged to the man that you thought was your good friend from back home. While it might have looked like a perfect life for you to stay and enjoy, it was far from it.

Back in your own world, you were happily romantically involved with Dean and best friends with his little brother. The three of you were your own dysfunctional, yet loving family. I In this universe you were once engaged until things turned sour. None of you talked, none of you were close—or even friends for that matter. You’d rather be in your own universe that was nameless to the people around you, with your real family that loved and talked, even bickered with half the time. And nothing was more rewarding than being a hunter than playing one on TV. 

“You know that if we drop Virgil, get the key, then this might be it.” Dean’s voice broke your concentration on the diamond ring that shined underneath the studio lights. You looked up at him to hear what he had to say. “We might be stuck here.”

“No, we’ll figure out a way back.” Sam said, staying positive the outcome of the situation ending up with all of you home again. 

“Yeah, you wouldn’t be that broken up if we didn’t, though.” Dean said. You furrowed your brow and told him not to be stupid. He was thinking of the silver lining of this situation you were choosing to ignore. “Well, I’m just saying. No hell below us, above us only sky.”

“Dean,” You spoke up, reminding him of a life and things that money couldn’t buy. Nothing could touch what you had back at home that was worth everything here, cheesy as it sounded to you. But it was true. “Our friends are back there.”

“Yeah, but here, you two got a pretty good life. I mean, back home, the hits have been coming since you were two and Sammy was six months old.” Dean argues you his points of to stay. “You got to admit, being a bazillionaire, married to Ruby, the whole package. It’s no contest.”

“Yeah. It’s pretty fun. But there’s something I don’t have here that I do back at home.” You reminded the older Winchester about the benefits of going back home. You pushed yourself up to your feet and headed over to him. As your lips stretched into a smile, you wrapped your arms around his neck and pulled him into a simple kiss to show what you meant. “That’s you, knucklehead. Screw everything. We don’t mean the same thing here. I mean, you two aren’t even brothers. The worst tragedy is that Sammy and I aren’t even besties.”

Sam let out a quiet chuckle from your odd choice of words, “Besties?”

“That’s right, Sasquatch. I said besties. You got a problem with that?” You looked over at Sam when you questioned his tone of voice with an arched brow. He shook his head and smiled. “Now, you two idiots want to get back to where we belong or spend another day attempting to act?”

“Yeah, no. Let’s get our crazy show back home.” Dean muttered. He settled his hands on your waist for a moment when you forced him to relive the agonizing catastrophe that was from earlier today. You smiled when he suddenly became eager to get this plan in motion. You were about to open your mouth and say something, but you suddenly found yourself stricken silent by the sound of an echoing noise that was all too familiar. “Call me crazy, but was that a gunshot?”

You and the boys investigated the noise to see it was just that. Two dead bodies from fatal gunshot wounds and several casualties left to bleed out. You caught sight of Virgil who was back with a vengeance. He might be an angel without wings, but he knew the next best thing. Before anyone else could get hurt, the three of you made a plan to take Virgil down once and for all. He took three more shots before you jumped out of nowhere.

“Hey!” You shouted on the top of your lungs. You waved your arms in the air in attempt to get his attention. Your lips stretched into a smirk when you saw him standing there with what looked like an empty shotgun and nothing more than a pistol. The way he was shooting off with the rounds, he’d be out soon. “Come get me you—”

Before you could finish your taunting, Virgil quickly turned around where he stood and brought up the pistol to where you stood and shot off another round. You managed to get out of the way just in time before the bullet landed in your head instead of the glass. Before he could try again, Dean came out of nowhere, tackling Virgil, the both of them falling against a wobbly wall and into another set that looked like a motel room. Dean wasted no time in throwing punches and trying to keep Virgil down for long as he could until you and Sam came barging into the room.

The boys went after Virgil to make it an unfair fight of two against one. You searched every pocket that you could on the man, from his pants to the jacket, but you barely coming up with anything. While you mentally cursed at how much room you were working with, you found success when you felt something cold brush against your fingers. Your lips stretched into a victorious smile when you yanked out the key Balthazar gave you to hold onto.

“Guys!” You pushed yourself up to your feet and held up the key. “I got it.”

When the boys got done with Virgil, you could tell from just one glance that he wasn’t going to be bothering anyone for a while. You were about to reach out your foot to kick him lightly to see if he was even still alive. But you found your attention lingering to the chaos that was about to unravel. You felt the ground beneath you and everything around you begin to shake. You had a feeling this was the place where Virgil was supposed to be, where he crossed over and pulled back into your universe. The person who made the promise was an enemy you really didn’t want to see after all you went through here.

You warned for the boys to run when you looked over your shoulder and saw a familiar sigil suddenly appear on the window. No matter how fast you thought you were, Raphael would always be stronger. You took one lunging step forward before you felt yourself being yanked backwards by an invisible force and straight into the glass window. Unlike the first time, you weren’t as lucky to get a cushioned fall. You landed face first on the pavement littered with pieces of broken glass and wood.

You didn’t know which one hurt more, the shards of glass digging into your palm or the aching pain in your body from being thrown around like a ragdoll. You managed to gather enough energy to reach out a hand and slowly push yourself up to more of a kneeling position. When you looked up, you expected to be greeted by the sight of Raphael, whose personal choice of vessel were more of the male variety. But you were greeted with a little change.

“You three,” Raphael approached you and the boys with a calm stride. You pushed yourself up to your feet and eyed him carefully, wondering if he was going to try and pull anything. “Have the strangest luck.”

“Raphael. I have to say, nice meatsuit.” You complimented the archangel on his choice of female he picked out. Flattery was the sincerest form of kindness, Raphael didn’t crack a smile.

All of a sudden you felt yourself in agonizing pain from the simple clench of Raphael’s fist. You felt your knees buckle underneath you as your hands pressed themselves against your stomach. Raphael showed no remorse when he demanded to know where the key was. He found it on his own when he saw it on the ground just a few inches from where he stood. So much trouble for one little key. While the archangel believed that it was the answer to solve all his problems, it turned out it wasn’t that significant, after all.

“And that will open you a locker at the Albany bus station.” You felt the pain vanish quickly as it came from a familiar accent you heard from earlier tonight. It was Balthazar, here to collect what you had tried so hard to keep onto. You pushed yourself up to your feet when you heard what that damn key was all about. “You see, I needed a modest decoy to make it more convincing.

“Give me the weapons.” Raphael demanded.

“Sorry, darling. They’re gone.” Balthazar said. It seemed the archangel wasn’t very pleased to hear the news from the tone of his voice. And you weren’t either from the brilliant plan Balthazar had up his sleeve. “I said, too bloody late. You see, they were so well hidden that I needed time to find them. So I volunteered Y/N and her two marmosets for a game of fetch with Virgil. You three were such an adequate stick. Thank you. Thank you.”

“You’ve made your last mistake.” Raphael said. He was growing tired of the games an angel beneath him in power and strength was trying to play. You swallowed slightly from the snarky remark Balthazar used to reply.

“I’ve got a few more tricks up my sleeve, honey.”

Raphael didn’t like the pet names he was hearing. He began walking towards the angel, ready to lay down the law and get what he wanted. But before he could lay a single finger on any of you, a familiar voice you knew well rang out. “Step away from him Raphael.” Cas warned. You looked to see it was the angel himself. “I have the weapons now. The power is with me. If you don’t want to die tonight, back off.”

It seemed Raphael knew when to listen. You blinked, and just like that, he was gone from your sight. You didn’t have a good feeling about any of what just unravel. But to Balthazar and Cas, it was a successful night. “Now that you have your sword, try not to die by it.” The parting words by Balthazar were for his fellow brother, who had done just about everything to get what he wanted for a fight neither you or the boys understood.

"Cas, what the hell?” You had your questions when you saw the angel walk up to you after Balthazar vanished into thin air. Your head felt like it was still spinning from everything that was going on. But before you could pester him, you noticed your surroundings changed. Cas transported you and the boys back to Bobby’s house with the broken window and the storm brewing outside. All as what it was, like no time had passed. You were quick to catch Cas when you started to make sense of this situation. “You were in on this, weren’t you? Using us as diversion?”

“It was Balthazar’s plan.” The angel explained his reasoning. You scoffed at his pathetic excuse that sounded anything but stupid and risky on your part alone. “I would have done the same thing.”

“That’s not comforting, Cas.” Dean said.

“When will I be able to make you understand? If I lose against Raphael, we all lose everything.” Cas told you the same line that you’ve been hearing for months now.

“Yeah, Cas, we know the stakes.” You reminded the angel. “That’s all about you’ve told us.”

“I’m sorry about all of this.” Cas apologized. You noticed that his gaze was in your direction, but he avoided any sort of eye contact with you. “I’ll explain when I can.”

You had a feeling that’s all you were going to get from Cas. You let out a sigh of frustration when he disappeared from your sight, leaving you and the boys alone with more questions and no answers. Dean rolled his eyes and muttered about freaking angels. They were no good. Dean wiped his hands with his face from the troublesome past few days as you inspected the damage you were going to have to explain to Bobby when he got back. Sam found himself walking across the room and to the doorway. Your head quickly snapped in his direction when you heard him whack the wall a few times.

“Solid. It’s real.” Sam clarified. “Nice.”

“Yeah. Real, moldy, termite-eaten home, sweet home. Chock full of crap that wanna skin you. Oh,” Dean couldn’t forget the most glamorous detail that was the least exciting part of being back in your own universe. “We’re broke again.”

“True. But…at least we’re talking.” You reminded the older Winchester one detail that the most important one of all. Dean didn’t find it amusing as you did. He turned his head slightly to roll his eyes as his lips stretched into a smile from your sarcastic remark. “Now, wipe that smirk off your face and find a tarp or something. Bobby’s gonna be home soon.”

\+ + +

Josh didn’t know the last time since he laughed, let alone, smiled. He was hunched over in his office chair with his laptop open to at least six different browsers and a dozen or so dusty books crowded around his wooden desk that was a hand-me down from his grandmother. He smiled slightly as he sank his teeth down harder against his thumb, half listening to the story you were telling over the past few minutes. It had been months since the last time that he’d seen you, and three weeks since he’d gotten a phone call. You told him that you’d been busy, so had he.

You and him had a very peculiar friendship over the past decade and a half. He knew you since you were a freshman in high school and next door neighbors after his parents died tragically in a car accident. You helped him through one of the worst times in his life by sharing a bit of your past. The both of you had grown closer by sharing a liking to things most people their age found nerdy and tried your hardest in school. Since he was a year older than you, he would help tutor you in subjects you were struggling with a bit. On Tuesdays it was your place after school, and on Wednesdays it would be at his.

Unfortunately your friendship that had been growing for a few years was cut short when Josh graduated early and got accepted to a college halfway across the country. He broke the news to you on the front porch of his house when you knocked on his door. Your friends had been teasing you for weeks to ask him out. And with the winter formal not too far away, you gathered all the courage you had to ask him to do it. He’d been trying since the beginning of the school year to tell you the news of his departure.

Your friendship was before the social media days, nobody had Twitter or Facebook to drop a message. If you lost someone’s number, email or home address, you lost them forever. Josh focused on college and strived for almost eight years to do what he wanted, and that was to become a professor. There was something about shaping the minds of tomorrow. He came from a family of educators and army vets. It was either go to college or sign up for the Marines like his father and father before him, and so on. Josh chose education.

His path was paved by his loving mother. He remembered the way she would go on about the subject she taught. Josh was always fascinated with helping people and teaching to the future of tomorrow. He knew the process was long and tedious, but it was what he wanted. Everything was going well…until 2006. Josh hazily remembered the time he was possessed. It happened one day out of the blue while he was on campus, studying like he had been for the past eight tedious years. His entire future was right in front of him—and just like that, it was gone.

He was upset to see all of his scholarships and money from his parents’ insurance go to waste after his sudden absence caused him to fail for the year. But Josh found comfort in how his life ended up. All though he had a Masters in teaching and qualified for a job, he didn’t want to after he got a taste for the supernatural. He got himself a comfortable apartment just fifteen minutes from where his grandparents lived and worked at a respectable bookstore that covered all his basic necessities. And then some. He reached out a hand to touch the rare book that he wasn’t supposed to even have. His boss was on vacation for a week, she’d never know it was gone.

“That’s honestly…hilarious, and yet sort of creepy.” Josh admitted. He forced himself to smile at what you told him, acting as if you were standing right in front of him when you told him about the alternative universe where you landed yourself in where you and him were actors, engaged to be married. He grimaced even at the thought of being romantically involved with you. “Well, I’m glad you guys are back safe and sound. Try to stay out of trouble, okay?”

"I highly doubt that. Trouble follows us around like a magnet. And then some.” You said. You let out a sigh from other end of the line. You were silent for a moment, letting this be the opportunity where he would say to come back in one piece. Josh found himself staring at a picture of his grandparents. Happy, healthy. “Josh? You still there?”

“What—Yeah, yeah.” Josh muttered underneath his breath. He stood straight up in his seat and looked over to the laptop screen when it suddenly went black from the lack of attention. He swiped a finger over the mousepad, bringing life back to the machine. “I’ve just got…a lot on my plate right now. It’s making me a little out of my mind.”

“Are things okay with you?” Your voice changed into concern from what you heard, forgetting all about the story you had called up to tell him. “Are your grandparents all right?”

“They’re fine. Don’t worry about them, Y/N.” Josh lied right through his teeth. He didn’t have the heart to tell you about how his grandmother was in hopsic, his grandfather right on his way. It came with old age, but they were his only real family left. So were you. And he was doing a lot of stupid things to keep the people he cared for safe. “Look, I’ll let you go. You have a window to fix, right?”

You sounded uneasy letting him go, but he felt relief when the dial tone came after you mumbled a goodbye. Josh dropped his cell phone to the desk and covered his face in his hands. He thought his life turned upside down when he learned about the monsters he watched in black and white horror movies and in novels he read over the covers as a child were real. But that was just a mild taste to what he’d been going through over the past year and a half since you returned back from the dead. Again. Angels, demons—purgatory, None of it made sense when they told him about it. The only thing that caught his attention was the word deal.

Josh dropped his hands back down to the desk and turned his gaze to the laptop screen that displayed information about demons and souls. It told him the process of how one turned into it and creatures that were half demon, but they didn’t tell him a damn thing about how to make one human.

“All play and no work makes Josh a useless boy.” Josh flinched at the sound of that arrogant, egotistical accent fill his apartment. He didn’t need to turn his head to know that he was here for his check up. He came out of random, the king didn’t need a request to pop out of thin air. Josh did it anyway. He was surprised to see that Crowley wasn’t alone. Castiel never made an appearance, unless it was more an emergency. “Time’s ticking. And I’m not talking about pops.”

“I’ve spent months looking into every dusty book you gave me and countless hours researching for something that doesn’t exist.” Josh said. He hastily pushed himself up to his feet, his chair falling to the ground. The demon and angel didn’t flinch. “What the hell am I looking for, exactly?”

"Where you can shove that attitude of yours, mate.” Crowley threatened the younger man. Josh decided to play with his odds tonight from the glare he threw at the demon.

“I have an idea of how to solve this problem. It requires one more step. I need a spell in order to make this plan work properly in our favor. It’s heavy black magic that can be found in a book. But it’s been lost for centuries. I know from a friend that it’s somewhere here in the states. That should help start your search.” Castiel spoke up, stopping the demon from killing the only human they had working up front for them. He wasn’t ideal, but Josh was smart and he had a connection to you like the Winchesters had. Which meant he was easy to manipulate into doing whatever they needed. “If you can locate it, I think we have a chance to putting a stop to this once and for all.”

“So it could be anywhere in this freaking country? Is that what you’re telling me?” Josh demanded to know from the questions he was throwing to the two creatures. Crowley raises a brow from the tone of voice being used against him. “You can freaking teleport. Hell, why not go to the Winchesters and ask for help?”

"Because those mongols think I’m dead. And we’re going to keep it that way. Besides, they’re working on a side project for us at the moment. And unlike you, we’ve got prior commitments that demand our full attention.” Crowley reminded the man. “I’ve got Hell to run and Cas here is busy fighting a war in Heaven. It’s very tedious work. Why do you think we came to you in the first place?”

Josh could feel his jaw tighten in frustration from the way he was being spoken to. Much as he would love to see the two of these bastards get what they deserved, you and his grandparents were more important to him than anything. “If I do this…You promise me this won’t count against me? You’ll make sure they’re okay?”

“I can only promise if you do as we say and not speak a word of this to anyone else.” Cas said. “Find the spell and we’ll tell you what to do next. If you do, we can get Y/N back to normal. And we can extend your grandparents lives for a little while longer. But that’s only if you help us.”

Josh’s gaze fell to the ground, feeling ashamed at what he was being dragged further into. It sounded nice to say, but he knew it was a lie. He was a willing participant in this mess. Because he was too far in to get out, afraid of what would happen if he said no. Because, most important of all, he wanted you away from this lifestyle for good and miles from those Winchesters. “Fine. Give me a place to start. I’ll leave in an hour.”


	12. ...And Then There Were None.

There was never a better feeling than being back in your own universe and in your own skin, playing a person you had your entire life—yourself, a hunter who actually saved the world from evil. The job paid nothing and you always were putting your neck out for the slaughter whenever you stepped outside. It was risky, but you wouldn’t change it for anything in the world. You loved knowing that there were a few people out in the world who had another chance to live a quiet and happy life, even though they knew about the supernatural. But there was one less monster terrorizing people. And knowing you stopped the apocalypse along with putting the Devil back where he belonged made you sleep a little better at night.

However work wasn’t always steady. Some months you were on the road constantly, going from town to town, trying to keep up with the monsters that were trying to cause terror. But there were times you were staring at the newspapers, wondering if you could find anything. A body to salt and burn, a cat that stuck in a tree that needed saving. Today…you were bombarded with an obscure amount of monsters crawling around the state of Ohio. A map was laid across Bobby’s desk you and the boys crowded over with the man standing on the opposite side with a red Sharpie in his hand, discussing the cases he had gotten wind of from fellow hunters.

“I been getting blasts from hunters all week. Nests of vamps, werewolf dance party. Shifters, six of them. Two hunters died taking them out.” Bobby told you all the things that had been going on just from the past seven days. You raised your brow in surprise to see how out of control things were. It wasn’t normal. You looked down to the map to see Bobby had circled five towns, all in an almost perfect pattern. “Ghouls, ghouls, ghoul-wraith smorgasbord.”

“Is it me, or is that a straight kick line down I-80?” Dean wondered. He took a hand out from his pocket and pointed to the circles. Bobby nodded his head as he connected the dots. You let out a low whistle from the buffet those ghouls were getting. And the poor bastards they were munching on during their road trip. “Looks to me like it’s a Sherman march monster mash.”

“Yeah, but where are they marching to?” Sam asked. Monsters don’t just recklessly leave a trail of warm and chewed up bodies lying around this messily. Bobby circled another town just a few inches from where the trail ended. “What is it?”

“Guy bashes his family’s heads.” Bobby explained the situation.

You furrowed your brow in confusion from what you were hearing. “Call be stupid, but that doesn’t fit the M.O. for ghouls. Don’t they like to eat their victims and not, I don’t know, play with them?”

Bobby imposed an important question, “Who says ghouls did this?”

\+ + +

Rick Evans was once a family man of three, married to a wife for over twenty years and a devout Christian. He showed no signs of violence or homicidal tendencies. Today he sat in a police interrogation room in an orange jumpsuit, handcuffed to the table for the safety of himself and others around him. You could see the look of sheer guilt in his face—shock that still shook him to his very core, a feeling that would probably never leave him. The man sitting across from you wasn’t a cold blooded killer. He didn’t have it in him to take a hammer and ruthlessly murder his family. Of course, you had a feeling he wasn’t the one to blame for this.

You and the boys sat around the table to hear Rick’s side of the story while Bobby lingered in the background, listening to what the man had to say. From the amount of monsters that were coming out without warning, Bobby decided to tag along, unsure of how many things you might be up against. Right now, your main concern was trying to get more information out of Rick.

“It’s like I told the cops.” Rick explained to the four of you. He lifted his gaze from the table and to all of you. You could see the pain in his eyes, the remorse he felt. You’d been around enough monsters and liars in your time to tell if someone was one of them. It was easy from a simple glance that he wasn’t. “I blacked out.”

“Well, just tell us what you do remember.” You told him in a calm tone.

“Driving my regular route and then I—I woke up in my truck at work.” Rick said. You nodded your head and asked him where his work was. “Starlight Cannery. I didn’t remember how I got there, so I called home. When no one picked up, I went there and I found…”

“Anything unusual before you blacked out?” Bobby asked. You were wondering if this might be some kind of demonic or ghost possession, it had the clear sign from the loss memory and blackouts. Demons loved to spill blood that wasn’t their own in gruesome ways.”Sights, smells, anything off the routine?”

“Basic night. I was giving some kid from the truck stop a ride. She took off. I think she took off.” Rick said, seeming a bit unsure of the detail. You found yourself looking over at the boys from the new information you didn’t read in the police report. Dean looked over at Rick, asking if there was anything else. “I swear, I didn’t mean to do it, I—I loved them.”

Whatever the motive was for this mass murder, Rick didn’t kill his family out of pent up rage. It had to be something else. You sat behind the computer in the police station now after you pulled up the footage from the night of the murder. Sam sat beside you as Dean hovered over you as Bobby stood next to him. The four of you were trying to figure out the freak that caused three lives to be cut short in such a brutal way. It didn’t fit the pattern of the things crawling around this place. And you

“So demon possession or ghosts?” Dean asked, speculating the culprit behind such a heinous crime.“I thought this was a monster thing.” 

“That’s what we’re about to find out. Here we go.” You said. You pulled up the security footage of the last time Rick was seen. You had a feeling this was where he had his encounter with this mystery chick. You fast forwarded through most of the footage until you got to the part where you spotted Rick filling up his eighteen wheeler. You narrowed your eyes when you spotted a young woman, barefoot and in a white dress. “Truck stop, night of the murders.”

“Ooh. Hello.” Dean mumbled to himself. In true fashion, the older Winchester leaned forward to get a better glimpse of the young woman, but only of her backside and not of her pretty face. She might have been camera shy. And you figured out why when you forwarded the footage to watch as she approached the truck and entered it with Rick, all before departing in the matter of seconds. As she walked away you and the boys got a good look of her front. You felt your eyes nearly widen in surprise at what you saw. Sometimes monsters show who they really are, shape shifters with their eyes and wraiths with creepy faces. What you witnessed was nothing you ever saw before when you paused the video. “Freakish nightmare. What the hell was that?”

“I’ve never seen that in my life.” Bobby said after you muttered out his name in a slightly panicky tone from what you just witnessed. “All those vamps and ghouls out on I-80, maybe they’re coming in for Mother’s Day.”

“Huh. Heh…Okay, well, if that is Big Mama, whatever she is, we got zero on ganking her.” Dean said. He circled around the desk so he was now leaning over the computer and facing the three of you to discuss the matter. You looked down at the screen, wondering if that really was the Mother who compelled an innocent man to kill his entire family. Why would she do such a thing? You didn’t want to know the answer if it meant going up against her. “What are we gonna do if we run into her? Throw salt and hope?”

“No,” Bobby said in a matter-of-fact tone. “We’re gonna run because we’re in over our heads.”

"We better buckle down and get some real information on this bitch before we do run into her.” You suggested. “I have a friend who can help. It’s been a while since I bugged him for a favor.”

“Hey, let’s go.” You looked over your shoulder to see a deputy from a few desks down from yours call for his fellow offers to follow. You watched as everyone left what they were doing to follow the deputy, you furrowed your brow from the ruckus that was happening. Before the deputy could rush out the door, Bobby stopped the guy, wondering what this was all about. “Guy went postal down at the cannery.”

“I’ll go.” Bobby offered to look into the new situation as he headed for the crowd exiting out the door. “You kids finish here.”

You nodded your head in agreement with the plan as you settled your attention back on the screen for a moment. You hit the space bar on the keyboard, allowing the footage to play out at its normal speed. The mysterious woman got out from the passenger side of the truck and walked away from her victim, her ugly and almost skeletal like face displayed on the footage for you and the boys to keep. You shoved a hand inside the pocket of your black dress pants and pulled out your phone. If anyone could help you on this situation, Josh was a good friend to have on speed dial.

"Hey, best friend…” You greeted an old friend by the name of Josh Carver, someone you had got into the habit of accidentally not speaking for months, even a year, at times. It’d been only a few days since you spoken to him briefly, just wanted to catch up with him and tell him about the misadventures you had. This time it was all about business. Your lips stretched into a smile as you spoke in a sweet and warm voice. “Got a minute to talk?”

“Depends on what it’s about.” Josh said. He sounded different from what you were expecting to hear. Normally he was over the moon from hearing you, getting clarification that you weren’t dead in a ditch somewhere. Today he seemed a little grouchy and tired. You asked him if he was feeling all right, Josh caught himself out of character and quickly apologized. “Sorry. Haven’t been getting a lot of sleep lately. What’s up?”

“Remember how I was telling about the Mother of All business?” You asked him. You leaned back in your seat and looked around the police station to see that you and the boys were the only ones who remained, giving you a chance to freely talk out in the open. Josh said that he did. “Well, we’re working this case with a guy who went all Jack Torrance. Bashed his family’s heads in with a hammer. Doesn’t remember a thing.”

“Sounds like demon possession to me.” Josh guessed. You could hear him move the phone away from his ear for a moment to talk to someone else, an exchange of please and thanks was heard before he continued on with the conversation with you “Of course, if that was the case you wouldn’t be calling me. You are the professional, not me. But what does this have to do with that Mommy Dearest stuff?”

“The guy who went insane said that he picked up some girl at a truck stop. We looked into it, and…I’m staring at a creepy face that is giving me the willys.” You admitted. “Face is all sorts of nightmare fuel we’ve never seen before. I was thinking you could help us out. See what you can find on Mother, how we can stop her.”

Josh, who was at least three hundred miles away from his apartment, moved the phone away from his mouth and dropped his arm that held the device. He found himself letting out a frustrated sigh from what was being asked of him. If you had told him just a week ago to start research on this monster, he would have been more than happy to. But he was chasing a trail on another project that he didn’t want to talk about just yet. Josh brought the phone back to his ear. "Sure, no problem. Uh, send me the footage. I’ll see what I can do.”

\+ + +

It was late into the night when you and the boys headed for the cannery after a man went postal, opening fire at his workplace and killing six people with a hunting rifle. Whatever sort of bad mojo was coming off this place, it was leaving a body count that was making you feel uneasy. You started off the hunt with you, the boys and Bobby himself. But you were greeted with a new player you hadn’t seen in well over a year. You felt your lips stretch into a smirk as you crossed your arms over your chest, watching as Bobby’s car drove up slowly to the Impala parked in the docs, Rufus, Bobby’s infamous partner in crime through the years, sat in the passenger’s side.

Dean grabbed the duffel bag full of supplies all of you would need and closed the trunk as Sam watched as the two men got out of Bobby’s car. You refrained yourself from laughing when the two older hunters went at it just mere seconds after meeting up with the three of you.

“I don’t even know why you have a driver’s license.” Rufus complained about Bobby’s driving skills, the other man scoffed and rolled his eyes. You shook your head and greeted the two men with a smile.

“Well, look what the cat dragged in.” Dean said, giving a snarky remark to the older hunter he hadn’t seen himself in what felt like at least a few years. Rufus helped you and the boys out on more than a few occasions. But this was the first time you got to see him and Bobby in action.

“It is really good to see you, Rufus.” Sam said.

“I can believe it. It must get old, dealing with this miserable cuss here all by yourselves.” Rufus didn’t waste another chance to point a finger at Bobby and take another jab.

Your face scrunched up slightly as you looked over at Bobby with a pretend expression of guilt, “Is it that obvious?”

“If you four want to talk crap like a bunch of teenage girls, why don’t you get a room?” Bobby asked. You let out a quiet chuckle from the lack of amusement he saw in the conversation.

“Maybe later. We’ve got stuff to do. Did we all pack a snack?” You asked the men. You pulled out the gun from the back of your jeans and checked to make sure that everything looked good and the safety was off, ready for whatever was waiting inside for the five of you. You turned on the flashlight you were holding in the opposite hand and looked straight ahead at the building. “Let’s see what we can see, boys.”

The first floor of the building was what you expected out of the cannery, dark and full of supplies for people to get their job done. The five of you headed up to the next level by all heading into an old looking elevator and continued on your way. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary so far. However, when the thought crossed your mind, you heard something that didn’t sound good at all. You didn’t hesitate a single second pulling out your gun and pointing it at the dark figure who approached the double doors that lead out where you and the boys were walking.

Your finger lingered on the trigger and waited for the stranger to approach you first. You weren’t sure who you were expecting to see, your money was on a security guard or the monster itself. But who you saw was someone you hadn’t expect to see in such a long time.

“Gwen?” You whispered the hunter’s name. You hadn’t seen her since you wrapped up a hunt in which involved an Alpha vampire and her fellow family members. You saw another source of light come from the room she just exited, you let out a sigh from who you realized it was.And the trouble he was about to cause “Oh, great.”

Dean didn’t hesitate a single second in marching past you and Gwen when he caught sight of his grandfather. He pushed open one of the doors and charged forward at the man, pointing his loaded gun straight at Samuel’s head. It was safe to say the older Winchester was still holding onto that threat.

“Welcome to next time.” Dean hissed at his grandfather. Before the man could do something stupid as to pull the trigger and paint the walls with Samuel’s brain, you placed out a hand and lowered the gun. You ordered for Dean to hold on. He looked over at you with a glare. “I said I’d kill him!”

“Trust me, I’d be more than happy for you to do it.” You mumbled. You looked over at Samuel to give the man a dirty glare from what he did to you and the boys. Much as you wanted to see him suffer, Samuel was better alive than dead. For now. “But let’s just take a breather. Okay?”

Dean didn’t like what you were doing, but he listened. You watched as his finger lifted itself from the trigger, but he never lowered his gun away from the Campbell, just in case Samuel tried to do something stupid. “I take it you know each other.” Rufus speculated, seeming to notice the tension that built up around the group from the mere sight of Samuel.

“He’s the boys’ grandfather.” You informed the man about what was going on. You never took your gaze off Samuel from the insult you delivered to him. “A real son of a bitch, if I may say.”

“Oh,” Rufus muttered. “Somebody needs a hug.”

You scoffed, “More like a bullet to the brain.”

“Why are you here?” Bobby asked Samuel.

“We’re working.” Samuel answered. “You?”

“None of your damn business.” Dean barked at the older hunter.

Samuel was supposed to be the boys’ own flesh and blood, someone that he could trust with his life, an only source of family on his late mother’s side. But the man proved himself that he was no good for anyone beside himself. He was no better than the monsters you hunted. When you looked at him, your instinct was to kill him like how Dean was itching to do. Not yet. You had a feeling the bald headed bastard might have been good for some information before you let Dean take him out and put a bullet in the old man’s head like how all of you wanted.

“Sam, take Dean for a walk.” Bobby told the younger Winchester.

“You’ve got to be kidding me.” Dean muttered in a frustrated tone. Sam shook his head and said that everything was fine. You stepped out of the way, allowing the younger Winchester to try and guide his brother out of the room before he did something stupid. Dean looked over at Samuel and asked, “How?”

It wasn’t how you wanted to handle the situation, but his way wasn’t any better. Sam guided his brother out of the room to try and let him cool off. You dropped your weapon to your side and looked over at Samuel, "How’s it feel now that Crowley doesn’t have you by your balls? I don’t see Mary around. Guess being a demon’s bitch wasn’t really worth all that effort.”

“So,” Bobby stepped forward to the infamous man he heard so much about. “You’re Samuel.”

“You must be the guy pretending to be their father.” Samuel shot back at him. You could feel your face scrunch up in anger from the old bastard tried to pull. Bobby didn’t take any offense.

“Well,” Bobby said. “Somebody ‘ought to.”

Samuel moved his gaze away from you and Bobby and to the younger Winchester after he entered the room once more after Dean stormed off. "Sam. You’re looking well.” The older Campbell said. You felt your grip around the gun tighten as you were tempted to pull the trigger from what he had the audacity to say next. “Wish I could say the same about you, Y/N.”

“Save the small talk, all right?” Sam said. He reached out and put a hand against your arm to give it a squeeze, warning you not to do the foolish mistake his brother wanted. You lowered the gun back to your side and let out a steady breath, trying to calm yourself down. Samuel noted that the younger man seemed different. The old Sam would have stopped you from pulling the trigger. “I got my soul back. No thanks to you, I hear.”

“You hear?” Samuel repeated what his grandson said. “You don’t remember?”

“I remember enough.” The younger Winchester stated.

“I, uh, really hate to break up this little circle of love,” Rufus spoke up, deciding that he had enough of the family drama. None of you were here to discuss the bad blood between all of you. There was a monster to hunt, a Mother to take down. “But why don’t we talk shop, huh? How about you tell us what it is you’re hunting?”

Samuel looked at the four of you to see that you weren’t going to pull any stupid moves. He lowered his gun and walked over to a desk nearby to take a seat at the edge. “Creature from purgatory. She calls herself Eve.” Samuel explained. “But they call her Mother. She was here about ten thousand years ago. Every freak that walks the face of the earth can be traced back to her. Well, most of them.” You didn’t hesitate in giving him a threatening glare from the cheap shot he took at you. “And she’s back.”

“How the hell do you know all that?” Bobby asked.

“You don’t know half the things I know, son.” Samuel said. He didn’t hesitate in trying to come out and attempt to make himself the smartest person in the room. “Hell, until recently, you didn’t know about us.”

“I now know that you’d throw your own kin and an innocent kid, that I bet saved your ass on more than one occasion, to hungry ghouls.“ Bobby shot back. He remembered the story you and Dean told him about the adventure you went on in an attempt to retrieve Sam’s soul from Crowley after getting intel of the demons whereabouts from Samuel. Only to find out it was a trap, Samuel sold you out to save his own skin and get back his dead daughter. "I think I know enough.” 

Gwen understood that her family was all sorts of crazy. She stuck around after finding out she was working for Crowley without her knowledge. Because Samuel told her that it was because he wanted to have his daughter back. She’d been a hunter her entire life, family was an important thing. What made her look at her only family with a closer eye was learning that Samuel had thrown you and his own grandchildren to the slaughter without a drop of hesitance.

“Dean lied to the man.” Samuel tried to defend himself. “And I wouldn’t trust someone who was once a demon, for crying out loud.”

“Please. Flattery will get you nowhere, you bald headed bastard.” You threw back an insult with a grim frown. You turned your attention to Gwen, who was a mere bystander in this conversation that was unraveling in all sorts of wrong directions. “If you don’t believe me, ask Dean.”

Gwen took the opportunity to do just that. You stepped out of her way and allowed the woman to go free and learn the truth Samuel had been hiding from her. But nobody realized that it was a mistake before it was too late. She was only gone for a minute before you heard a shot echo from the other side of the building. You quickly looked over your shoulder, figuring out that the noise was coming from the direction of where Gwen went. Nobody wasted any time in figuring out what the hell just happened.

You followed the path Gwen took in order to have a civilized conversation with Dean. You didn’t know what you expect when you stumbled upon the sight of where she ended up. What you saw wasn’t one of them. Gwen was on the ground, barely clinging to life with a gushing wound in her stomach, caused by a gunshot. You realized quickly that Dean wasn’t around. And you bet your money he was the one who pulled the trigger. The man had a temper, but his only person he wanted to see hurt was Samuel. As the men attempted to Gwen, you frantically looked around to see where Dean might have wandered off to.

“See if you can plug that hole up, Bobby.” Rufus said. The two hunters worked together in trying to get Gwen back into stable condition. But from the extent of her wounds, you weren’t holding your breath for a recovery. Dean was a smart hunter, he knew where to shoot to kill. “Come on.”

Sam ran off to see if he could find his brother anywhere while you stayed behind, hoping a miracle would come your way. You didn’t particularly have a close relationship with Gwen, but you didn’t want to see the poor girl die like this. You ran a hand through your hair as you took one more look around the place, hoping to find Dean somewhere. But it was no use. Just like it was trying to save Gwen. Both of them were long gone. You looked over at Gwen when Bobby announced that she was dead. You swallowed slightly from what her life had come to.

“I’m sorry.” Bobby mumbled, giving his condolences to the remaining Campbell. “If you care.”

“Screw you.” Samuel said. “I care.”

“Could’ve fooled me.” You muttered underneath your breath. You looked away from Samuel when you heard footsteps approaching the four of you. You were tempted to draw out your weapon in defense, but you calmed down slightly to see that it was Sam. Alone. He looked to see that Gwen was still on the ground, not moving a muscle. “She’s dead. Where’s Dean?”

“I couldn’t find him.” Sam said. You cursed underneath your breath from the update. “Whatever got into those guys must have gotten into Dean.”

“Rufus, help Samuel move her somewhere. Sam, Y/N and I will lock down here.” Bobby said, coming up with a plan. “We’re gonna wanna find Dean before he finds us.”

You nodded your head in agreement with the plan. As you were about to head off to get started, you looked over at the remaining Campbell. “We’re gonna find him alive, Samuel,” You warned him. “If you lay one finger on him, I swear—I will gut you from head to balls. You’ll be begging for me to pull a bullet in your head after I’m done with you.”

You headed off with Bobby and Sam to put this place on lock down so nobody could get in or leave while the rest of the men stashed Gwen’s body somewhere safe. Six hunters against one. The odds were stacked against Dean. Six trained hunters against one. It seemed that he had nowhere to go. But you didn’t have a good feeling, knowing one of them wouldn’t hesitate to pull the trigger.

\+ + +

The group was split in odd numbers; you, Sam and Bobby teamed up together to search one half of the building while Rufus and Samuel stuck together. You tried to hide your discomfort with the plan. What you didn’t have was time right now to argue about who was going to be your backup. You weren’t doubting that Rufus was a lousy hunter. It was your lack of trust in Samuel. One wrong move—one second Rufus took his eyes off Samuel, the old bastard would surely run off and find his grandson to take a shot at him. Spill blood for blood after what Dean did.

You knew Dean better than he knew himself. He might have a temper, but he was careful on who he lashed out against. There was no way he would really pull the trigger on his grandfather, much as he wanted to. And Hell would have to freeze over first before he shot Gwen point blank, who had struck up a conversation with him about wanting to to find out the truth. Sam was right. Whatever affected the two men who went on a murderous rampage had took over Dean. It was the only thing that made sense. You just hoped that you could get to him before Samuel did. Or worse, Dean went and killed someone else.

The three of you searched the space that you’d given yourself, cautiously peering over every corner and peeking over your shoulder when you heard the slightest noise. The thing about being up against Dean, he was a skilled hunter that didn’t even make a sound when he walked at times. He might have a good aim, but you weren’t a newbie. You adjusted the grip around your gun and flashlight when the search continued on. All of you headed down a deserted and narrow hall with several doorways that would have been perfect for someone to jump out of when you put your guard down for a split second.

You quickly turned on the back of your heels when you heard what sounded like a crushed up tin can hit the ground, making you point your weapon at what you were suspecting to be Dean. Instead you and the other two men were only spooked by a mouse. You let out a frustrated sigh from the false scare and continued on your way. Much as the three of you tried to search the place, you had a feeling Dean was too hidden for you to find. So, you decided to teach the older Winchester a lesson. You stopped for a moment and pulled out your phone. Scrolling through your contacts, you found his name, and knowing that he didn’t turn his phone on silent, you hit the button. A second later, you heard his phone go off.

“Gotcha.” You whispered to yourself.

The noise was coming from what sounded like the end of the hall. You nodded your head to the two men to follow you. Your cautious steps turned into a sprint when you heard echoing voices that sounded like they were yelling. You cursed underneath your breath and ran through plastic curtains and into the next room where you saw Rufus and Samuel pointing their guns at Dean, who was doing the same. You intervened on the situation before someone else could get hurt.

“Hey, hey, hey! Drop ‘em, both of you.” You shouted, trying to get the two older men’s attention in a threatening tone so they would do the right thing. Rufus had the audacity to try and give you a bit of snark, you didn’t mind it the least bit amusing in the situation you were in right now. “Did I stutter? I said, drop it.”

“I’m not in the mood for this crap. I just had a twelve-inch herpy crawl out of my ear.” Dean said. You felt your face scrunch up slightly in disgust from what you heard him say. “You heard me. I just woke up on the ground just in to see this worm thing sliding out of my frigging ear and into that vent. So you tell me what the hell is going on.”

“You killed Gwen, that’s what’s going on.” Samuel said, getting his grandson up to speed.

Dean looked at the man with a bewildered expression from the wild accusation he was being accused of. “We were just talking out in the hallway. That’s the last thing I remember.” Dean admitted, trying to go through his memory that felt hazy and disoriented. “That thing must’ve jumped me.”

“So we’re talking about, like, a monster that gets in you?” Bobby asked.

“It’s like a khan worm on steroids.” Dean said, trying to somehow explain the very unpleasant situation he just went through moments ago. Now all of you were in here, guns pointed at him like he was the enemy.

“You mean,” Sam asked, “Like a parasite that took over your body?”

“Worm crawls in,” Dean explained the gritty details in simpler terms for all of you to understand. “your worm crawls out.”

“Monster possession?” Rufus mumbled. You weren’t sure if he believed the young man or not. “That’s novel.”

“What if that thing’s still in you and we can’t trust a word you say?” Samuel questioned the older Winchester. Dean argued with the man that the worm wasn’t in him anymore as the barrel of his gun pointed itself over at the remaining Campbell from the game he was trying to play.

“Check your ear.” Bobby ordered.

“What do you mean? Check my ear for what?” Dean asked the older hunter. His face scrunched up slightly in confusion as he lowered his weapon, allowing Rufus to quietly creep up on the man and stick his finger into the ear canal. Dean flinched and backed away before Rufus could try and do it again. “Hey! What—Why don’t you buy me a drink first?”

“Second date.” Rufus remarked back. He examined the tip of his thumb to see it was covered in traces of black goo, the same kind he found in the second victim that shot up this place hours ago. “Oh, yeah, we’re goo-positive.”

“What does that mean?” Dean repeatedly asked in a slightly panicked tone. “What does that mean?”

“Means it was in you, all right.” Rufus said.

“Or it still is.”

“It’s not in me!”

“Okay, okay. Everybody, give up your guns.” You ordered for the argument to break up between Samuel and Dean among other things.

You found a burlap sack hanging off a hook and fetched it for all of you to do the right thing before someone got hurt. Your idea was met with criticism from the baffled expressions from hunters that were well over twice your age and had experience far more than yours. But you had one thing they did in this tense situation, and that was common sense that things weren’t going to end well for anyone.

“This situation is already bad as it is. Do you want someone else dead?” You questioned the men, they answered you with silence. “We don’t know who’s normal and who’s the host of this parasite thing.”

“It’s not in me.” Dean said, thinking that you didn’t believe him.

“I didn’t say it was.” You defend yourself against his judgement. You turned your head to give him a glare. “Point is, we don’t know who it is. For all we know that thing is still crawling around, looking for another host. It could be anyone of us. Now, unless you idiots want to shoot each other to find out, the best we can do is to make it a little harder for that thing to blow our heads off.”

Before anyone could try and accuse you of being infected, you slowly put your weapon into the bag and waited for everyone to do the same. Dean knew the only way to prove his innocence was to give up his own gun, so he did. Sam and Bobby follow moments later, along with a hesitant Rufus, who eyed you suspiciously before his own weapon sank to the bottom of the sack, making it harder for you to hold. All of you were now defenseless in the sense, except for one. Everyone looked over at Samuel, who still kept an iron grip around his gun.

“Are you waiting for a handwritten invite, Campbell?” Rufus asked the other hunter. All of you stared at him, waiting for him to fork over his weapon. Reluctantly, you watched as Samuel gave up his gun and dropped it into the bag with the others. You closed it shut and handed over to Bobby for him to safely discard them.

Bobby carried the weapons and put them into an empty locker he found and shut it with a combination lock you found lying around. You didn’t feel any sort of relief when you realized all the guns were locked and out of sight. Suddenly you realize you should’ve had everyone give up

their weapons. A hunter wasn’t stupid to carry around just a gun, knives were handy tools when it came to face to face combat. You sat down at a nearby table and crossed your legs, pretending to adjust the bottom of your pant leg. Nobody seemed to notice you were making sure you were making sure that your knife was tucked in your shoe. Just in case.

It was a paranoid induced thought considering the circumstances you were under. But it was better to be safe than sorry. You would rather stab someone and have them suffer a wound that only required stitches, it sure beat the other option. Being thrown into the freezer where they left Gwen. You leaned back in your seat and crossed your arms over your chest before you could give off any suspicion. Not to mention, all these men in this room had years of experience—and size advantage against you.

“Okay,” Bobby faced the five of you now that things were somewhat under control. He knew it wouldn’t be much time until all of you started pointing fingers at each other. “We need some time to breathe, make a plan.”

“A plan?” Samuel questioned the other hunter. “Based on?”

“I’m gonna make a few phone calls,” Bobby said. “see if anybody ever heard of anything like this.”

Rufus pitched in to help and shake a few branches of fellow hunting buddies that might know something about a parasite that controlled the host and forced them to kill. It sounded like an optimistic idea. But between the three phone calls each of them made, you could tell from their decreasing expression that there wasn’t much hope. You always counted on Bobby when you hit a wall. The six of you were trapped like a bunch of rats. Nowhere to go, nobody to help you lend out a hand. 

You were tempted to try and see if Josh could help some assistance, but you had a feeling of Bobby and Rufus’ contacts couldn’t find anything, neither would he. You let out a frustrated sigh and leaned over the table with your elbow propping up your head, Dean was now sitting across from you with his feet kicked up and thumb tapping itself against the table top. You noticed that he was staring at something with a serious and almost threatening glare. Following his gaze, you noticed that he was staring at Samuel. Probably figuring out all the creative ways he could kill the man.

You looked away from Samuel when you heard Bobby curse underneath his breath and shut his phone in frustration at the lack of help. All though your attention was pulled away from the other hunter when you found it going right back to the remaining Campbell. Samuel got up from his seat, his younger grandson followed. Samuel was casually making his way to the double doors that lead out to the hall, Sam thought he was up to something funny. You dropped your arm to the table and stared at Samuel with a suspicious glare. You didn’t need the excuse of a parasitic monster running rampid in one of you not to trust Samuel.

“Relax. Bathroom break.” Samuel said. “So unless you wanna hold it for me…”

“Wait, you’re telling me there’s something between there? Huh.” You mumbled, the ends of your lips stretched into a smirk as you arched your brow “I thought you were smooth as a Ken doll.”

Samuel gave you a tight smile, but he didn’t find your remark the least bit funny. His grandson allowed him to step out into the hall and do his business. However, you and the boys knew better than to trust to let that man run around farther than you could throw him. You pushed yourself up to your feet as Dean kicked his legs off the table and to the floor, the three of you waited until the door swung shut for you to trail Samuel. Couldn’t be too safe these days.

You caught Samuel doing exactly what he said he stepped out for. You watched from the corner of where you stood as he exited the men’s bathroom, acting normal as one could be in this kind of situation. Before he could go too far, Dean stopped the man, allowing the four of you some much needed alone time. You headed over and stood across from the older Campbell, crossing your arms over your chest and stared at him with a glare. The three of you surrounded him like a trapped prey, leaving him nowhere to run.

“What?” Samuel asked, wondering what sort of intimidation game you were trying to play.

“Nothing.” Dean said, shrugging his shoulders. “I’m just wondering how you sleep at night.”

“Like a baby.” Samuel answered. “Thanks for asking.”

“So you wake up every few hours, screaming for Mommy?” You asked, finding yourself unable to keep the urge to keep the sarcastic jabs to yourself anymore. Your lips stretched into a smile when he looked in your direction.

“You think you’re so funny, huh?” Samuel asked.

“I think I’m hilarious. I mean, I really get going when I’m around bald headed pieces of crap who tried to kill me and my family.“ You said. You stepped forward to him as your voice lowered, showing him that you weren’t the least bit afraid of him. "You fed us to Crowley.”

“True, but what am I gonna do about it now, Y/N? Do I blame you kids for wanting to kill me? Of course not. What I did was—” Samuel said, trying his hardest to somehow explain himself to you and the boys. You crossed your arms over your chest as Dean continued to stare down the man like the bastard he was. The older hunter suddenly stopped talking for a moment. He knew nothing was going to change your minds. “But I’m not apologizing. I did what I did. I don’t cry over spilt blood.”

"You’re spilling your own blood, you bastard. Trying to get back your daughter, only to—what? Kill her own children? Yeah. She’d really appreciate that.” You said, giving him the hard dose of reality that he’d spent over a year trying to ignore. “I didn’t realize Crowley had his hand shoved so far up your ass was touching your pea sized brain. You’re so ignorant to the reality of this situation. I can’t believe you can just go on—”

"Just because you’re Dr. Jekyll at the moment doesn’t mean you can get all high and mighty.” Samuel cut you off, saying something that made the smug look on your face slowly disappear in confusion at what he was trying to get at. “Don’t forget, we spent a year together.”

“Yeah, we did.” Sam said, jumping into the conversation. “We’re blood. And you still sold us out.”

“Trust me, what I did pales in comparison to what you did. And on more than one occasion. But we all come out smelling like a rose, thanks to Y/N.” Samuel said. You furrowed your brow from what kind of jab he was trying to take at you. It was his turn to smile from the dirt he had on you. "And you think I’m a monster for feeding my grandsons and you to a couple of ghouls for my own daughter. At least the deal I made with Crowley was to save someone.”

You found yourself growing silent for a moment from what Samuel said. The way he pronounced “you” with such a repulsive tone, made it seem like you were some sort of abomination in his eyes. It reminded you of the time people called you a mutt because of what you once were.

“Wasn’t the first time I sold my soul to Crowley.” You said. “First time it was to save Dean from going to hell. Second time around I thought I might as well do something for myself. Something to make me human.” 

“Oh, yeah? How’s that working out for you, kid?” Samuel wondered. “Still think Crowley pulled you out because he wanted you to help hunt Alphas with me and Sam?”

You narrowed your eyes on the man, “Obviously he didn’t pull us out to braid each other’s hair.”

“Okay, that’s enough.” Dean said. He stepped into the conversation before his grandfather could say something that would open up nothing but trouble for you or his brother. He took a few steps until he was standing in front of you, like he was making it clear his dispute was between him and Samuel. “The only reason you’re alive right now is because we’re working a job. The minute we kill this thing, you’re next.”

“Okay, then.” Samuel said. “We’ll just see.”

You found the old man’s words the least bit comforting, and for a good reason why. You looked away from his unsettling smirk and to his ear, where you saw a thick black goo substance leaking out. You knew that must have been what Rufus was looking for in Dean when the parasite jumped his body, only the thing crawled into Samuel’s. You averted your gaze down to his hands, having a sneaky suspicion the man was going to try something, and sure enough, you watched as he slipped a hand into his pocket. You had a suspicious feeling he wasn’t reaching for anything good.

Samuel pulled out a loaded gun, but before he could try anything, Dean lunged forward and grabbed the man by the arm, angling it above and let the bullet Samuel shot off hit the ceiling, missing the three of you. Samuel managed to overpower Dean, shoving him and making the man stumble into his brother. You tried your hardest to somehow block him, but it failed when you felt yourself stumbling to the ground, letting Samuel and the thing inside his skull run off along with him. You let out a frustrated sigh and pushed yourself up to your feet own your own and trailing behind, forcing the boys to go after their grandfather before someone could get hurt.

“Heard a shot.” Bobby said in a slightly breathless voice after him and Rufus ran to see what the commotion was all about.

You nodded your head to the boys, who were racing after their grandfather to try and find him before he disappeared. “Samuel. Son of a bitch tried to blow our brains out.”

“I’m gonna be needing my gun back now, Bobby.” Rufus said.

“You think?” You asked him with a snarky expression.

The three of you headed back to the lockers with a heavy crowbar to break the lock where you stored the weapons. Bobby swung the crowbar down on the lock, and with a few tries, you watched as the lock fell to the ground. He yanked out the sack and carried it over to the table and dropped it. All of you were swift in grabbing your own weapons, knowing this time it was kill or be killed. You angrily make sure your gun was loaded right and would be ready if you needed to shoot it.

“Hey, don’t feel bad. You know, it was a good plan.” Rufus said. You looked to up see the man was trying his way of comforting, you gave him a dirty look from what he followed it up with. “Except for the part where a monster would definitely, definitely not give up all his weapons.”

“Shut up, old man.” You grumbled at him.

The boys burst through the doors a few seconds later, Dean announcing the news that they lost Samuel. You figured that much when they showed up here empty handed. You made sure everything was set while the boys grabbed their own guns, giving them a once over to make sure things were all set like you had just a minute ago.

“What’s the plan?” Sam asked.

“We stick together.” Dean said. “We gotta keep track of this thing and who it’s in.”

Everyone agreed with the situation, it was the only option you had left to make sure none of you got infected by this thing. Much as you would love to put a bullet in Samuel’s head for everything he did you and the boys, you knew the best outcome would be to catch him and that parasite thing alive to contain it and figure out what exactly it was. You followed Dean as you took front with him, the both of you examining the empty factory with flashlights in one hand, and guns positioned to your side, ready to shoot if you saw Samuel.

As you looked around the corner, you found yourself straying a little farther from the group than you realized. You saw an empty hallway to the right of you that looked like it might lead to a good place for someone to hide. You approached it with caution, keeping a close eye for a figure to pop out from the corner and try something. You didn’t take into consideration that this place had the materials needed to build other weapons besides the ones that you carried in here. One wrong move and your body would have been leaving this place in separate pieces. Only someone caught the trap before you could step into it.

You felt someone’s grip around your shoulder before yanking you back, making your instincts jump into place thinking it was Samuel. You quickly tore yourself free from the person’s grip and pointed your gun straight at them, your flashlight spotted only Sam, who backed away quickly and threw his hands up in defense when he saw four loaded guns pointed in his direction. He simply moved an arm to point at the wire you were seconds away from walking into. All of you cautiously headed forward and ducked slightly to see there was a homemade bomb hanging from the ceiling. If Sam hadn’t been there to stop you, all of you would have been dead.

“Booby trap.” Dean whispered.

“I’ll be damned.” Bobby mumbled.

You made sure to step over the wire this time when you headed into the hallway. All of you went on your way, keeping a close eye for another possible trap waiting for one of you to tip it off. Apparently you didn’t know how to stay close on this hunt. You thought everyone was right behind you, only they stopped a few feet back to take a look around the two other halls that lead to other parts of the building. You lowered your flashlight when you noticed there was a decent amount of lighting around the place. It was flickering every so often, making the venture that you took a little more complicated to see.

You suddenly stopped dead in your tracks when the lights suddenly went out for a few seconds, making your sight grow pitch black. You turned around and positioned your flashlight in front of you only to see a heavy metal door go sliding, trapping you away from the rest of the group. You cursed underneath your breath and tried to somehow move it, but it wouldn’t budge. You violently slammed your palm against the door, catching everyone’s attention, making them realize you were separated from them. 

“Y/N?” You heard Dean’s muffled voice from the other side of the door. “You okay?”

“Oh, peachy.” You said, looking over your shoulder to make sure you were alone. You drew up your gun closer and positioned your finger on the trigger. “I’m gonna go around, okay?”

“Watch yourself.” Dean warned you.

You told him that you would, giving no reassurance to the boys. If this was Samuel’s way of trying to pick all of you off one by one starting with you, the old man had another thing coming. You pointed your gun back up and went on your way, the flashlight helped guide you. The problem with traveling in a dark building by yourself with a creature who wanted to kill you was that there was nobody to have your back. Nobody to help watch your back if something tried to sneak up on you. Lucky for you, Samuel was stupid enough to get himself cornered. He was just standing there, his back to you, having no clue you were approaching him with quiet footsteps.

“Don’t move.” You ordered, speaking up in a strong and demanding voice. Samuel slowly looked over his shoulder to see that it was you. You weren’t falling for his little act when he greeted you with what looked to be a fraction of a smile as he spoke your name. "Put your gun down.”

"What are you gonna do, kid? You’re not gonna shoot me.” Samuel said. You narrowed your eyes as you showed him that you weren’t playing around when you clicked the safety off, the noise echoing through the empty part of the building. “You’re human again. You wouldn’t dare. Hell, we’re practically family. Putting a bullet in me is like putting one in those boys.”

“Yeah, I wouldn’t go with the whole family thing. We might have hunted together for that year, but that’s it. You’re not who I thought you were. You’re nothing more than a coward who did a demon’s dirty work. Don’t forget,” You reminded the older hunter on what he did to his own flesh and blood, "You tried to kill me and your own grandchildren.”

"I had good intentions for what I did. I was trying to get back my daughter.” Samuel defended himself against you and the harsh judgement you casted on him. You scoffed at his excuse that might have sounded good to him. "You act like you’re so much better than me. But you know damn well if the shoe was on the other foot you would have done it without batting an eye. I bet you would have thrown me to those ghouls if he promised your own mother. What about your dad?”

“I said, don’t move.” You demanded. Samuel listened this time, he stopped in his tracks, leaving a smaller gap between the both of you than you were comfortable with. “My mother was an obsessed bitch who ruined my life. She can rot in hell where she belongs. And far as my father… circumstances didn’t work out in his favor. But its over. Bobby’s the only one I need.

“They’re not bad people, Y/N. I remember them quite well. Good family friends. Ella and Mary were the best of friends. You’re a lot like them.” Samuel said. He tried to keep the conversation casual as slowly eased one foot in front of the other, like you wouldn’t notice his attempts at trying to get closer to you. “Especially Ella. She was a damn good hunter. She’d almost proud to see how you turned out.”

“I said,” You hissed at him. “Don’t move!”

Samuel listened this time when you raised your voice, your finger pressing closer to the trigger. You clenched your jaw and stared at him with a threatening glare. "Appears to be our moment, Y/N. You still think Crowley pulled you out to hunt monsters? A thing like you,” He spoke the word again in the same tone. “Running around catching Alphas with me and Sam? Acting like you’re better than them. Please. Did you ever stop think you’re like those things we hunt? You’re always going to be a monster. Well…monster on a leash. You can’t hurt me.”

“Don’t test me, you bastard.” You threatened him.

"You still think you’re human, Y/N? That you came out of the cage, all fresh and clean?” Samuel questioned you. You furrowed your brow from what he was trying to do. “Do you honestly think Crowley wasted his effort in bringing you out without something extra? You and that thing in there was always a pain in my ass. Now it’s stuck in there forever.”

“Are you sure about that, Samuel?” You asked him. Your tone shifted in a more calm one as your expression softened. Your lips stretched into a smile as you blinked, letting the last thing Samuel Campbell would ever see was the malevolent black eyes of the demon he was stupidly taunting. He had no idea what you could do now. “I should have put a bullet in your head the first day I met you.”

You didn’t hesitate in pulling the trigger and shooting off the gun, putting a bullet in the forehead of Samuel before watching him fall backwards to the concrete, dead before he hit the ground. You let out a sigh and dropped you arm to the side, satisfied at what you had finally been able to accomplish after all this time. “Who’s stuck now, you son of a bitch?”

You basked in the glory of what you did for a few seconds longer before you realized that this would only last for so long. You haven’t had the chance yet to practice to stay here for long as you wanted. You managed to mumble a “Dammit” underneath your breath before you blinked, making your eyes go back to normal, along with the person who was supposed to be in control. Before you realized what you did, you felt yourself slowly falling backwards, darkness engulfing your vision before you hit the concrete.

\+ + +

Silence was a hunter’s worst enemy when the circumstances didn’t call for it, when one of their own strayed from the group, out of sight with a murderous thing running rampid. It was the type of silence that didn’t settle Bobby and the Winchester brothers’ nervous minds from what might have unfolded. You were a good hunter. You were the most cautious out of all of them and, when times called for it, you wouldn’t hesitate to pull the trigger on the monster to save the day. However, this parasite that infected the host made people to horrible things. You were up against a hunter like Samuel, who had experience far more than any of you, along with the help of a nasty thing. The odds were stacked in your favor, but you knew how to hold your own. It still didn’t make anyone feel better.

The four men found a way around the barrier that separated you from them in the first place. All of the cautiously searched the empty part of the warehouse nobody, trying to find a clue of where you went or Samuel’s whereabouts. Dean approached a corner that lead to a deeper part of the building, as he flashed his light around to see nothing but emptiness, he found his head snapping forward when he heard the sound of a gunshot going off. The older Winchester felt his heart pound roughly against his rib cage, suddenly fearing the worst when he went off running.

“Y/N?” Dean called out your name in a panicked tone. His voice echoed through the warehouse, signaling his brother to follow behind along with Bobby and then Rufus. The four of them ran to where they heard the gunshot go off. Each of them noticed Samuel was on the ground, along with you. The real question was who pulled the trigger.

Dean crouched down to the ground to see if you were all right as Sam lingered over you. Bobby cautiously stepped over to where Samuel laid to figure out who was wearing a bullet, leaving Rufus to linger in the back, his loaded gun pointed at you. The brothers noticed that you were alive from the sight of your chest moving up and down, Bobby clarified Samuel was the one who was dead from the gunshot wound to his forehead. The man kicked the dead body with his foot to be on the safe side, Samuel laid where he was.

Dean tired to wake you up by lighting pushing on your shoulder as he mumbled your name. It took a few times before he watched as your eyelids fluttered slightly before they opened. When he had gotten infected by the parasite, he found himself doing the unthinkable by shooting Gwen without remorse. But he had no recollection of it. He blacked out, the parasite took over his body, making him kill the poor woman. Nobody knew what happened here except for you and Samuel. Samuel was dead, you were the only one who could explain.

“What the,” The first set of words that came out of your mouth were mumbled when you finally started to come back around. You slowly pushed yourself up to your feet with the help of Dean while you tried to get out of the fogginess that surrounding your state of mind. You shut your eyes once more and placed a hand to the back of your head from the dull ache. Rubbing the bruised head, you opened your eyes again to see a sight that made your face drop. “What the hell?”

“I think we can ask you the same thing.” Rufus said.

You tore your gaze away from the dead body lying on the ground and to the loaded gun pointed in your direction. You found yourself furrowing your brow from how he was acting all of a sudden, suspicious and full of caution. For a moment you wondered why the hell everyone was suddenly staring at you with a little more attention. It took you a second to realize how all of this didn’t look good. You stood there with a dead body at your feet, a recently fired gun in your hand. You quickly dropped the gun before one of them could tell you to do so. You don’t know what happened. All you remembered was finding Samuel, getting into an argument about him about his lack of personal space…and that was it.

“It’s now what it looks like.” You were quick to defend yourself from whatever sort of accusations they were about to point in your direction. You put your hands up to claim your innocence, or in this case, put it to rest that you were feeling like yourself. “It’s me. I swear.”

“Okay. That’s great, Y/N.” Rufus said. He pulled something out of his jacket with his free hand and began to cautious steps forward to you. You noticed that it was a zip tie, you refrained yourself from rolling your eyes from the caution he wanted to take. “Just gonna cuff you till we can be sure. Okay? You understand, right?”

“It’s in him. It has to be.” You said. Before you could be the next one on the list, you complied with what Rufus wanted to do. You turned around and placed your hands behind your back, allowing him to tie your wrists tightly together. Bobby seemed to have caught the paranoia from Rufus. He asked you if you were sure. “Yeah, I think so.”

“You see anything come out of him?” Rufus questioned you. “After he dropped?”

“To be completely honest, I don’t even remember shooting him.” You said. You knew what you were admitting to wasn’t helping your case, but it was the truth. And you were sticking to it. "I swear on my life he was infected with that thing when I caught him. Him and I were talking, but that’s all all that I remember. I woke up…and now we’re here.”

Samuel’s body was taken to someplace where all of you could figure out if he was still infected. While he laid on a table, Bobby inserted a piece of wood with a cloth tied at the end into his ear, the next best thing to a cotton swab in this place. You watched the scene unfold with intense focus, thinking you were for sure going to see more of that black goo that Dean had after he was infected and the substance came oozing out of Samuel’s ear before he tried to shoot you.

“Tell me you got something.” Dean said, seconds after Bobby took out the swab to inspect it.

Bobby examined the cloth to see if there was any sort of trace, but it came out clean. Your face dropped when he shook his head no. “Nothing.”

“What? That’s impossible. I know what I saw. I mean, I wanted the old man dead. But I wouldn’t have shot him point blank like that.” You said. You made sure to change your tone from the harsh and defensive one that wasn’t helping declare your innocence. It slowly changed into a quieter one as you stared at the dead man lying on the table when you realized what you might have done. “Oh, God. What if he really wasn’t a monster?”

“One way to find out.” Rufus said. “Bobby, you got a cranial saw in the car?”

Bobby scoffed from the question, “‘Course.”

“You’re not going alone.” Dean

“Oh, no, he won’t. He won’t. We will both go grab some tools and see about getting some power in this place.” Rufus said. He began pushing the other hunter to the doors to gather the supplies they would need to conduct their search. Before the two of them left, Rufus stopped, knowing he needed to leave the three of you with some orders. “And I want you and you to wa—Okay, I want you and you to watch him and she and—All right, if anything crawls out of anybody, somebody step on it.”

“Don’t worry.” You reassured the older man, knowing exactly what he was fumbling around to say. “I’ll watch Samuel. Dean will watch me, Sam will watch us.”

Rufus nodded his head. From the look on his face, you had a feeling he wasn’t all that confident all of you weren’t going to stick to the plan. You watched as the two hunters disappeared to get the tools, leaving you and the boys alone, along with their dead grandfather—whom you killed. You had thought for a few months of what it would be like to point a loaded gun in his direction and pull the trigger. It was one of those thoughts brought on by anger from what he did to you and the boys. An eye for an eye. But you never actually pondered on the idea of actually going through with it. Until tonight, apparently. You stared at his dead body, wondering how you could have done such a thing.

“You did the right thing.” Dean’s voice made you look away from his grandfather and to him. Sam stood next to his brother, the both of them didn’t stare at you like some kind of monster they should be cautious of. Of course, they always had a good poker face that even fooled you.

“You mean, you think I did. If it’s still in him and I’m me. You think it’s bad enough this thing is playing three-card monte with us. But…I don’t know.” You trailed off for a moment, suddenly wishing your hands were free so you could rub your eyes in frustration from the lack of help you could bring. You stared at Samuel’s body, trying to figure out what made you pull the trigger. You swallowed slightly and looked over at the boys. “What if that thing jumped me?”

Sam looked at you with a confused expression from your question, “What makes you think?”

“Because I don’t remember shooting Samuel. What if it jumped him last second, crawled into my brain and made me do it? Dean blacked out when he shot Gwen. We don’t even know what we’re really up against here. What if it’s getting faster or something? That’s the only explanation I can come up with. Unless…” You found yourself growing silent when another possibility began to cross your mind. One that you knew would be more plausible, yet more disheartening for you. “It happened again. I blacked out.”

The boys had this strange habit they developed over the years that you couldn’t understand or even taken part in. Their expressions remained neutral as they grew silent. But you knew better than it was more than them just reflecting on what you said. The two of them looked at each other, discussing the matter with knowledge that you didn’t know about. Dean turned his gaze back to you when he shrugged his shoulders, now acting like the reason for what you had done didn’t matter.

“You got the urge to kill us?” Dean asked. Your face scrunched up from his question as you said no quick as you could to claim your innocence. The man seemed satisfied to hear your answer. “Good. We’re just gonna assume that you’re still you. You got an episode, you must have instinctively pulled the trigger, shot the son of a bitch. That’s it.“

“Well, if that’s the case,” You turned around slightly to show the boys the plastic tie that was still keeping your wrists bound. “You wanna take this off?

The boys suddenly knew hesitant to comply with your request, still unsure of who was carrying the parasite around in their body. "Not until we get that sucker out of his walnut.” Dean said.

You let out a sigh in slight annoyance, but you agreed with the plan, knowing it was better to be safe than sorry. You found yourself looking away from the boys and back to their only biological family they had thanks. Thanks to you, he was dead. “I don’t know.” You mumbled, suddenly feeling guilty for what you had done. “I spent over a year with the guy and I never suspected he would have turned out to be such a dick. I mean, he didn’t exactly embrace me as his own…yet he seemed okayish. Until he tried to kill us, obviously. But—”

"There’s a but?” Sam cut you off, unsure of where this conversation was going. “Y/N, I barely remember the guy. But what I do remember, it’s not good. You did the right thing.”

“The why do I feel so crappy about it? I mean, yeah. Samuel was a jerk who got what was coming to him. But I can’t help but think that we’re being sort of hypocritical here. What if the shoe was on the other foot and we served him up to Crowley to get Sam’s soul back? He was just trying to get his daughter back.” You said. You didn’t know why you were suddenly trying to defend Samuel for what he did. He tried to kill you twice now. You were only defending yourself, yet you were left thinking how it made you look. “I barely remember Mary, but I know family was a big thing for her. She loved her parents. I mean, she named you two after them. I just wonder what she’d think knowing that I killed her father.”

“You know what I think my mom would say? She’d say, ‘Just because you’re blood doesn’t make you family.’ You gotta earn that.” Dean said. “You did the right thing, sweetheart. Much you don’t think so. You’re our family, bottom line. More than he could ever try to be.”

You felt the ends of your lips stretched into the faintest smile from hearing what Dean said. Before the three of you could continue with this heartwarming experience, you looked up to the ceiling when you suddenly were blinded with light. It seemed Bobby and Rufus managed to get the lights turned on, and they found that hacksaw they were talking about. The two of them came back from their journey, Rufus carrying a duffel bag in one hand before setting it down on the table where Samuel laid.

“All right,” Rufus said, unzipping the bag and pulling out the saw “Let’s play operation.”

“You kids wanna take a breather?” Bobby suggested, thinking it might be the better. The three of you thought the plan was negociable when all of you shook your head, deciding that you would be fine right here. “We’re about to crack open your grandpa’s grapefruit. Take a breather.”

You and the boys weren’t happy with the plan, but you agreed, leaving the two hunters alone to get their hands dirty. You followed behind the brothers and exited into the halls. All of you stood around for the next few minutes, trying to figure out what to do in order to kill some time while Bobby and Rufus got to working on cracking open Samuel’s skull. You paced around in slow strides, keeping yourself busy and minding your own business. As you passed the double doors to the next room, you curiously stopped for a moment and peered inside.

Rufus and Bobby were working on getting things together. You noticed they were talking back and forth, probably about how they wanted to approach this grim task and belittling each other at the same time. While it almost seemed normal, you found yourself focusing on their facial expressions, realizing they were peculiar for the situation they were in. Bobby was talking this time, his expression was one that looked of guilt. You furrowed your brow in slight confusion, wondering what it might have been about. Rufus, he seemed all of a sudden angry for whatever reason. Maybe it was what Bobby said. You didn’t know. He just looked…pissed.

You stepped away from the window when you noticed they were about to get started. You heard the muffled sound of the saw turn on as you began walking back to where the boys were. But you didn’t get very far from what you heard next. You and the boys suddenly looked back over to the double doors when you heard all sorts of commotion coming from the room. When the three of you peered inside, you were taken back in surprise to see Samuel was staring right back at you, on his two feet, like the bullet to the forehead didn’t kill him. He was dead. But not the thing in his skull.

“Guys,” You spoke up first when Rufus tried to take down the older Campbell, but was quickly shoved across the room. “I think you can untie me now.”

Dean didn’t hesitate a second in taking a knife out from his pocket and slicing the zip tie in half, freeing your wrists. You let out a sigh of relief and rubbed the sore muscles while standing back to give the boys enough room to break down the door. Samuel was smart enough to barricade it with a broken off leg from the table he was one lying on, presumed dead. The both of them tried twice to kick it down, and while you heard the wood start to split, it wasn’t enough to break it in half. You leaned over to see the fight was still unfolding. Rufus was pushed down to the ground, leaving Bobby up against the man. Samuel swung a punch at the other hunter, but Bobby was quick to turn, and before the remaining could expect it, he pushed the man.

You watched as Samuel stumbled to the ground and somehow hitting the open wire that had the saw plugged in. He must have landed on it, and because of the open circuit, was fried from the inside out. The thing inside of his skull must have been affected by the electricity running through Samuel’s body. You saw something that looked like the worm that Dean described scurry its way out of Samuel’s ear. The size of it was enough for you to flinch in disgust and look away. Your fear of what the thing looked like made you let it go free.

The boys tried to break down the door again when the fight suddenly ceased, on the three time, the doors went flying open. You followed behind them as they went to make sure Rufus and Bobby were all right. Each of the older hunter woke up with a fright, but from the looks of it, they were alive. The boys helped them up to their feet now that things had slightly calmed down.

“You okay?” You asked the two older hunters in a concerned tone.

“This can’t be my afterlife because the four of you are here.” Rufus proved himself to be back in good health from the sarcastic remark he spoke after managing to stand up with some help from Dean. He looked around the room to see it was a mess after the unexpected fight broke out by a dead man. “What happened?”

“When we left, he was dead on the table.” Sam said. He looked over at his grandfather to see him slumped on the floor with his back pressed against the outlet and his legs outstretched. You lightly kicked the man with your foot, Samuel showed no signs of movement.

"Yeah, till he wasn’t.” Bobby said.

“So how did he get double-dead?” Rufus asked the important question.

“Bobby threw him against that. I guess it was a live wire.” Dean said, pointing a finger to the wall his grandfather was slumped against. “It shorted and he went ape. Then that thing crawled out of his ear.”

“So at least we know what tickles it.” Bobby said. “Electricity.”

“Yeah. Now the question is, where’d it go? You see?” Sam asked. All of you shook your head no, subconsciously looking around the room to see if you could find that worm hiding, waiting to pick its next host. “You two were down for the count.”

“Well, either it bailed,” Dean speculated where the thing might have ended up as he took one more sweep around the room before pointing his fingers at Bobby and Rufus. “Or it’s in either one of you.”

“Or it’s in one of you.” Rufus said. He looked at you and the boys with a suspicious eye, Dean went on the defense by saying all of you were awake. “DId you have eyes on each other? One hundred percent of the time?” 

 

Dean suddenly found himself growing silent by the question. “Define ‘a hundred.’”

“Like I said.” Rufus said.

“All right, before we go pointing fingers, how about we check ourselves for goo, right?” You suggested, knowing all of you didn’t have much to lose at this point. You watched as the four men followed in your footsteps when you shoved your fingers into your ears, digging in there, wondering if you were going to find any of that black goo. You sort of felt like an idiot from what you were doing, but you were relieved that you did it when you examined your clean fingers. “Nothing.”

You looked to see that everyone had no trace of the goo, making this harder than you were expecting it to be. Bobby suspected that it might have bailed, Dean wasn’t so sure about that theory. “No, it might’ve wised up and covered its trail.”

“All right, let’s settle this,” Sam said. “One hundred percent.”

You raised your brow, “How?”

If this parasite jumped ship when Samuel got him with a few hundred volts of electricity, Sam had a feeling it would do it again by a simple shock. You crossed your arms over your chest as you watched the man cut off a piece of plastic from the hacksaw Bobby had brought in. It was falling apart in the first place, loose wires peeking out, becoming a hazard for anyone who might use it. All of you decided it was the best tool you had against the thing. Dean plugged the tool into the wall, powering the thing up. You inhaled a breath from what was to come when Sam stepped over to a metal chair and simply hit it with the live wire, igniting sparks. If you wanted to be ruled out as a suspect, you were gonna have to get shocked.

The first person up on the chopping block was Samuel. The younger Winchester approached his grandfather’s dead body and pressed the wires against the back of Samuel’s neck to make sure the thing was out of him. You watched as his body jumped a few inches in the air and began to violently shook from the electricity running through his body. When Sam thought it was enough to fry the parasite that might still remain, he pulled the wire away, letting the body slump back down to the ground.

“Okay.” Rufus leaned down to inspect the man, making sure to clarify he was dead with his own two eyes.. “I’m not a doctor, but I’m gonna call this one.”

“Yeah, all right.” Sam said. “Who wants to go first.”

You let out a breath from what you were about to go through. While you weren’t exactly volunteering to start the process, you wouldn’t turn down the opportunity if Sam wanted to start with you. Dean, however, decided to be the brave soul to start this ordeal. He shrugged off his jacket and placed out his arm for his brother to electrocute him. Sam was hesitant, asking if he was sure about it.

“Hurry up, before I start thinking—” Dean started speaking, but he was abruptly cut off when his brother went for it. You winced when the man hunched over and grunted in pain when he was dosed with a few hundred volts that was a rush he never felt before. And never wanted to again for long as he lived. Sam pulled the wire away after a few seconds when he realized his brother was himself. Dean let out a sigh of relief and tried to compose himself, all before pretending like he was fine once again. “Awesome. Here, you want me to—”

Dean offered to help out his little brother as he reached out a hand, Sam was way ahead of it. He pulled up his sleeve and pressed the wires against his forearm, making a volt of electricity rush through his veins. He managed to keep the wire on his arm for a few seconds before he had to pull it away. Sam inhaled a deep breath and leaned against the pillar where his grandfather laid, looking exhausted from the shock he put himself through. Dean grabbed the wire from his brother, deciding to be the one who gave the test now the both of them were cleared. You nervously swallowed when you felt three pairs of eyes in your direction, throwing you up for the next turn.

“Ah, dammit.” You grumbled underneath your breath. You knew there was no way out of this, so you decided to get it over with to clear your name. You shrugged off your jacket and placed out an arm for Dean to test you. He tried to place the wire against your skin, you found yourself backing away. Before anyone could try and accuse you of something, you gave your reason for being so jumpy. “Last time I got electrocuted, I had a freaking heart attack and nearly died. You better make it quick, Winch—”

You were about to threaten him if he didn’t make this quick, but you were cut off when the next thing that came out of your mouth was a scream of pain. You felt a sudden rush go through your body from head to toe. You shut your mouth and gritted your teeth, working through the pain that felt like it would last forever, or until your heart gave out. Dean pulled it away after a few seconds when you remained as normal. You backed away and shook your arm, trying your hardest to refrain yourself from calling him a few colorful words he wouldn’t appreciate. Now that you and the boys were ruled out, Rufus and Bobby were up next. Dean approached Rufus to get this over with, the man stopped him before he could make a single step.

“Whoa, whoa, whoa, no. I’m sorry. I’m sorry.” Rufus said. You scoffed at his attempts of trying to back out of this one as you shrugged your jacket back on. The older man had an excuse that wasn’t going to fly with all of you. “I got a damn pacemaker.”

“You better hope it’s a good one, old man.” You said, knowing he wasn’t getting out of this one.

“Since when you got a pacemaker?” Bobby asked, rather surprised to hear the news from his fellow hunting partner.

“Since Bush Jr., term one. I’m down three toes, FYI.” Rufus said. You rolled your eyes from the information the older hunter told you about his health that you could have cared less about. If he wanted to live, he was gonna have to endure the pain like the rest of you. “All right, just make it quick.” 

Dean allowed the older hunter to get himself mentally ready for what was about to come. Rufus pulled up his sleeve and presented his arm for the Winchester to test. The older Winchester waited for a moment before he placed down the wire, catching Rufus by surprise. Rufus hollered and grunted from the pain he was allowing to be inflicted on him. When his reaction was the same like the rest of yours, Dean pulled the wire away, stopping the electricity before it could stop the man’s heart. Rufus hissed in pain and walked around the room, trying to compose himself. You were stupid enough to ask if he was okay.

“No, I’m not okay. Give me that.” Rufus snagged the wire away from Dean’s hand, wanting to be the one who tested his following hunting buddy. You looked over at Bobby, knowing he was the last possible suspect you needed to cross off the list.

“Okay. All right. My turn.” Bobby said. “Well, it ain’t inside of me, so go right ahead.”

“All right, then just stand still Bobby.” Rufus ordered. Bobby agreed that he would, but he didn’t. It was almost like he was dodging each attempt the other hunter tried to do. You narrowed your eyes slightly from how Bobby was acting. “We can make this quick. All right? Let’s do this.”

“Okay, uh,” Bobby raised a hand, which had been hiding behind his back this entire time. If that wasn’t suspicious, you didn’t know what was. “Just a second, Rufus.”

Rufus stopped for a moment from what his fellow partner said. All of you knew Bobby, he wasn’t the type of huner who dodged any sort of test to prove his innocence. He was up front with what needed to be done. What all of you were communicating with wasn’t Bobby.

“Just a sec nothing, whatever you are.” Rufus said, seeing right through the man. The man tried to say that he was Bobby, but you had a feeling it might not be. “Bobby, my ass.”

Bobby claimed his innocence for only a few short seconds longer before he threw caution to the wind and did something that the hunter would never do. He pulled out a knife from behind his back and plunged the knife straight into Rufus’ chest. Your eyes widened in shock as Sam found himself shouting Bobby’s name from what he’d done, but he knew better than to know the older hunter was in control. Sam managed to catch Rufus before he could hit the floor, you doubt he was still alive from the knife wound. Soon enough, you found yourself staring at the bloody knife Bobby had just used on Rufus seconds ago.

“I dare you.” You threatened at the thing inside the man’s skull. “There’s three of us and only one of you. Do you really think I’m gonna let you win this time?”

Bobby might have been a better hunter, but you were faster than he was. You knew the taunting would be enough for the man to try and lunge at you to try and attack, but you quickly dodged it before he could try anything. Sam managed to grab ahold of Bobby and pin him down before he could try and hurt someone else. Dean didn’t hesitate a second in swinging a fist at the older man’s face, knocking him and the thing inside his head unconscious.

\+ + +

That fat, nasty worm you saw crawl out of Samuel’s ear after the man was burnt to a crisp from the inside out thought it was a good idea to take Bobby as its next victim. It could run around all it wanted, nest itself into the brain of its next victim and get comfortable. But you knew its time on this planet was numbered. You allowed the parasite, with its hunger for violence and death, remain in Bobby’s skull for the meantime. Even though seeing him like this, tied down to a chair with the duct tape you found, made your stomach twist in uneasiness from what might happen if none of you were careful.

You leaned against a table with your arms crossed over your chest, quietly waiting with the boys for Bobby to come back around. The three of you wondered if that thing inside Bobby’s head was smart enough to communicate its master plan. You started off tonight with six hunters, now you were down three because of that thing. You doubt that thing got its kicks from seeing people murder each other. All you knew that the next person to die tonight would be that worm. You’d stomp on it yourself to end this once and for all. You wrapped your arms tighter around your body when you saw Bobby starting to come back into consciousness. You knew better than what you were about to talk to wasn’t the man you knew. It was the thing that was controlling him like a puppet.

“Well, hey, there, you little herpe.” Dean greeted the older hunter in a sarcastic, cheery tone. His actions from what he did next were far from warm. He brought up the cable you plugged back into the wall and pressed it to the back of Bobby’s neck, giving the thing another taste of electricity that hurt the worm more than the hunter.You heard Bobby groan in pain, but you didn’t flinch in the slightest from what you were allowing Dean to do to him.

“Why do you keep talking about herpes?” Sam’s question came out of the blue. He noticed that his brother kept calling this parasite by a weird name that didn’t fit the situation. You inhaled a deep breath and rolled your eyes in annoyance from Dean’s reaction, which was defensive.

“What? I don’t. Shut up.” Dean mumbled. He was suddenly now starting to act subconscious at his terminology that was a little too inappropriate. Sam furrowed his brow when he brother tried to deny it, Dean felt the need to repeat himself. “Shut up.”

“Oh, for God’s sake. How about the both of you shut up?” You grumbled underneath your breath in annoyance, stopping the conversation before it could turn into a petty argument. It wasn’t the time, nor the place for childish behavior. You pushed yourself up from the table and back on your feet. Staring at Bobby, you walked forward to where Dean stood. “Don’t even think about shagging ass out of here, because we’ve got every crack in this room sealed. So get comfy.”

“I am comfy. It’s nice in here. And you love this guy, don'tcha? You said so yourself. You think of him as your own Daddy.” The thing thought it’d be funny to try and taunt you, throwing the words you said to Samuel right back in your face. You showed him you weren’t the least bit scared of what it was capable of from the blank expression that remained on your face. “You really want to kill me and take him with me? Haven’t you lost enough pals today?”

“We’ll do what we have to do. And we got some questions for you, so you can either play ball,” Dean spoke in a calm tone, showing the monster inside Bobby’s skull all of you weren’t going to go easy just because of who it decided to take over. He lifted up the cable to make sure his threat was crystal clear. “Or we could fry up a little shrimp on the barbie.” 

“Ask.” Bobby said. “Been waiting for you to ask.”

“What the hell’s that supposed to mean?” Dean questioned the thing.

“It means I got nothing to hide.” Bobby simply answered.

Sam decided that if this thing was willing to answer your questions, he’d ask his first one and see what it’d tell all of you. “What are you?”

“You haven’t got a name for me yet. I’m new around here.” The thing said. You looked over at the boys from the information it was giving you, which helped explain why none of Bobby or Rufus’ contacts knew what you were up against. “Eve cooked me up herself.”

Dean responded to the intel by taking the cable and bring it back to Bobby’s neck, giving him a dose of electricity that was longer than the last trip. You forced yourself to look away for the time when Bobby shook in the chair, obviously in great pain. But so was that parasite, you reminded yourself.

“Who is she, this Eve bitch?” Dean demanded.

“The mother of all of us, and the end of all of you.” Bobby said. The thing inside his skull decided to paint a gruesome scene for all of you to imagine of Eve’s fantasy for the world if you didn’t find her and put a stop to it. “By the time she’s done, there’ll be more creatures than humans. You’ll live in pens. We’ll serve up your young and call it veal.”

“You think we haven’t heard this song and dance before? The last thing we went up against that tried to destroy humanity to its bloody end is gone. Thanks to us. Now, I’ll give your mommy props for being the slightest bit creative this time. But I’m curious.” You said, showing the thing you weren’t the least bit intimidated by Eve’s plans. “How’s jumping a few truckers gonna help?”

“You think I’m here to mess with a couple of Cannery workers? We led you here.” The thing said, making the ends of Bobby’s lips stretch into a smirk from your surprised reaction. You asked him why. “She has a message for you, Y/N.”

“Me?” You scoffed when you found yourself being the one who was outed like this. “What does your mommy want me so badly she’s got to send you to do her dirty work?”

“She knows what you did to her children. You’re gonna pay.” The thing repeated the message that was implanted inside its head by its mother. You looked at the man the parasite took over with a confused expression. Bobby’s face turned into anger when you had the audacity to ask what you did. “Like you don’t know about the torture you inflicted on her precious children. She felt everything you did to them. You went through all that trouble to find a place that doesn’t belong to you. She wants you to know that she’s pissed. She’s gonna make you regret working for Crowley. And most importantly, she’s gonna make you feel what you did to her children.”

You’ve heard endless amount of threats over the years while being a hunter. Most of them were about killing you, turning you into a monster and so many others that sounded the same. All of them you brushed off as empty words a monster would never be able to keep. However, you could feel your expression dropping from what you heard. Suddenly you heard Samuel’s voice in your head, repeating the words he said to you while the both of you were alone. Before you put a bullet in his head.

“Well, here’s my response.” Dean brought the cable back up to the back of Bobby’s neck and gave him another dose of electricity. You looked away from the older hunter to see that Dean was going all in on this thing, almost forgetting that he was hurting Bobby as well. He always got this look on his face when a monster hit a nerve inside of him, making him go blind with rage. He clenched his jaw and watched as Bobby suffered in the chair, unable to fight back.

“Dean, Dean. Hey, stop.“ You reached out and forcibly yanked Dean’s arm away before he could try and kill the man. You didn’t know what got into him all of a sudden. You looked over at Bobby to see that he looked somewhat conscious, or, the thing inside of him was still going strong. You focused on keeping Bobby alive. “How much more do you think he can take?”

“You can’t kill me.” The thing taunted you. “Not without taking him with me.”

“True…But it comes with the territories of being a hunter. We’ll just have to do what Bobby would want us to do.” You said. You let go of Dean’s arm as you stared at the thing, your lips stretching into a grim smirk at what you were about to say next. “Torture the little sucker out of his skull.”

Sam did the honors of grabbing the duct tape off from the table and ripped off a long strip. He slapped it against the older hunter’s mouth and began wrapped tape all the way around Bobby’s head, making sure there was no chance this worm could sneak its way out. When he seemed it fit, Sam ripped off the tape and stepped away. You crossed your arms over your chest and stared at the thing, showing him no mercy. If this was what it had to come to, so be it.

“No way out now, Sluggo.” Dean said, leaning down slightly so he was in eye sight of Bobby. But his words weren’t meant for the man, but the thing inside his skull. You swallowed slightly from what you were about to let happen, Sam appeared a bit apprehensive himself when his brother looked in his direction. The both of you nodded your heads for Dean to continue. “Bobby, hang on in there.”

You didn’t want for things to end up this way, but it was the only way to get the worm out without cracking open Bobby’s skull. Dean unwillingly placed the cable back up to the man’s neck and gave it his all, forcing the man to endure a round of electric currents that lasted for what felt like a lifetime. You wrapped your arms tighter around your body and quickly turned away from the sight of Bobby violently shaking and groaning in pain from what was being done to him. You wished that you could have traded places with the plan, but this was what needed to be done.

The torture felt like it went on forever. Dean finally stopped when he saw something of a black ooze starting to trickle out of Bobby’s nose. You and Sam turned around to see that Bobby was unconscious. You darted your eyes to see the sight of that damn Khan worm wiggle its way out of Bobby’s ear, falling on the floor, dead before it hit the ground. You looked back to Bobby when Dean spoke the man’s name in a slightly panicked tone. Sam stepped forward and tugged off some of the duct tape around Bobby’s mouth, only to discover something horrible.

“He’s not breathing,” Sam mumbled in a nervous tone as he tried to start shaking him. “Bobby!”

\+ + +

The life expectancy of a hunter was short and painful. Nobody got out of this lifestyle to die peacefully in their sleep with a family to bury them. You died bloody, at the hands of a monster with a possible chance of having a fellow friend to burn your body as a last farewell. It was the tradition of things from how hunters went out. But not all hunters wanted to be ashes in the wind. Some of them knew what they were going up against, so they planned ahead for their funeral.

You stood in a cemetery on a cold early afternoon, your eyes set on a freshly dug grave that now held the body of a fellow hunter. Your lips were stretched into a frown as your hands were shoved inside your jacket, the boy standing on either side of you. The same guilty thoughts crossed your mind from how this hunt had to go. While you didn’t know the man that well, you wished for a better ending than this. Rufus was a good man, he was Bobby’s hunting partner for longer than you were probably alive. it only seemed fair to give him a proper goodbye.

“I gotta say,” Dean spoke up when Bobby approached all of you and the grave of a fellow friend he was being forced to say goodbye to. “I never figured Rufus was the religious type.”

“Well, he didn’t exactly keep kosher. He always used to pull the old ‘Can’t work the Sabbath’ card whenever we had to bury a body.” Bobby said. You smiled slightly when you saw him do the same while talking about the man. But it didn’t last very long when Bobby fell silent. He never told you much about himself or his past, today felt like the right time to tell the story about how him and Rufus met. “You know, I was just a job. I was Joe Mechanic. Then my wife got possessed…went nuts on me. I stabbed her, that didn’t stop her. Next thing I knew, this guy comes bursting in. Soaks her with holy water and sends that demon straight to hell so fast.”

You listened to the story about how Bobby became a hunter and met his fellow hunting partner. The story was painfully similar to the way how you learned about the supernatural world. “I’d have gone away for killing her. But Rufus cleaned up everything. Taught me a thing or two about what’s really happening out there. Pretty soon we were riding together. Worked like that for years. Kind of like you three knuckleheads.”

It sounded like a friendship made out of tragedy, but over the years since you known Bobby, the two of them fought like cats and dogs when they talked to each other. It seemed the friendship didn’t last. “So, what happened?” You asked the man, wanting to hear the rest of the story.

“It was Omaha. It was my fault.” Bobby said. You looked to see there was pain in his eyes, guilt for something that he would forever be haunted by. “And he never let it go.”

“Well, he should have.” Dean said in a blunt tone.

Bobby looked at the man with a tired expression, it seemed he gave up the fight of trying to tell himself what he did was okay. “You don’t know what I did, Dean.”

“Doesn’t matter.” Dean mumbled. Bobby shook his head, not sure what kind of point the oldest Winchester was trying to make. Dean cut off the other hunter to tell him why. “I mean, at the end of the day, you two were family. Life’s short. Now, ours are shorter than most. We’re gonna spend it wringing our hands? Something’s gonna get us eventually. And when my guts get ripped out, just so you three know, we’re good. Blanket apology for all the crap that anybody’s done, all the way around.”

“Some of us pulled a lot of crap, Dean.” Sam said, thinking his past of mistakes and regrets was going to be more harder to apologize for than for just forgiving and forgetting.

“Well, clean slate.” He told his little brother.

Sam could agree with that. The four of you found yourselves falling into a moment of silence to give your final goodbyes to Rufus. Bobby knew that there was one thing missing to make this funeral complete. He pulled out a brand new bottle of Johnny Walker Blue, Rufus’ favorite and only whiskey he’d drink. You watched as he ripped off the top and poured out some onto the man’s grave, giving him a final drink before he could rest. Bobby brought the bottle to his mouth and took a long, and much needed drink.

You found yourself taking your hand out from your pocket and resting it on the man’s shoulder, the least you could for him in this time of grieving. Dean was right, life was short. There was no point of holding grudges or feeling guilty for what you did. Even if you had no idea what pain you might have caused.

\+ + +

The four of you returned to South Dakota after you burned the bodies of Samuel and Gwen Campbell and gave a tasteful funeral for Rufus, one that you hoped he’d be proud of before he passed on. You had to admit the hunt ended roughly. Losing three people, despite two of them being a bastard and the other a hunting partner you barely knew, was still an outcome you never wanted to happen. You became numb to the survivor’s guilt that would come after wrapping up a hunt with a loss. Hunters didn’t sign up for the job to retire when they hit their sixties after putting in a few decades worth of fighting monsters. They were lucky if they got to their forties. The hunt was over, you got Eve’s message loud and clear. Now it was time to find a way to stop her. 

You thought you earned the right to crash at a motel just a few miles down from Bobby’s house, partly because you weren’t too fond of the idea of sleeping on that ratty couch. And you had a feeling Bobby wanted to polish off that bottle of Johnny Walker Blue, all by his lonesome. Sam had his own room just a few doors down from the one you and Dean were sharing. You and him hadn’t spent a single night together since the both of you got back together, the business of hunting and trying to get Sam back to normal was the one thing on your mind. Tonight you were ready to kick back and mellow out in front of the TV, drink a few beers and make out with your boyfriend before getting a decent night’s sleep. And try not to think about what the future held.

There wasn’t many options on cable besides sitcoms with the same laugh track and movies that you knew wouldn’t keep your interest. You sat straight up in bed with your back pressed against the headboard and your legs stretched out, as you continued to watch actors fly past you without much thought. Your mind was still racing on what unfolded the other night. Almost losing Bobby…the threat that wouldn’t leave your head, no matter how hard you tried.

“Like you don’t know about the torture you inflicted on her precious children. She felt everything you did to them. You went through all that trouble to find a place that doesn’t belong to you. She wants you to know that she’s pissed. She’s gonna make you regret working for Crowley. And most importantly, she’s gonna make you feel what you did to her children.”

Torture. It wasn’t a word you liked to use frequently in your vocabulary. It carried too many dark memories of your time in hell and unsettling nightmares that kept you up for months.

The one and only time you got your hands dirty to torture someone was an unwilling task brought on by Cas and his fellow siblings, way back when the apocalypse could have been stopped by keeping a few seals up. You and Dean were locked in a room with a demon named Alastair, an infamous monster who turned souls into black eyed things you hunted. He turned your life upside down in hell. He broke you, turned Dean against you and even got his way with you back on earth. But that was your chance to get revenge. Make him feel pain.

You had to be honest, at the time it felt good. To have that kind of power over someone, to hear a voice beg for mercy in a voice that wasn’t your own. It was a high that you hadn’t felt since you said yes to becoming a demon. You spent over a few decades with a monster inside of you, just waiting to be let loose. It came out for a short while, and now it was gone forever. You had no urge to hurt another living thing like that ever, not even a monster that deserved it.

If Eve wanted to find out who was hurting her precious children, she should be looking for the ashes of the king of Hell and his fellow pet–Crowley and Samuel Campbell. Both of them were a match made. Samuel captured the Alphas and monsters, Crowley gave them a cold cell to keep them before he tortured them to find out where Purgatory was. Your job, along with the boys, was to track down the monster flavor of the week and send them Crowley’s way. That was it. 

You let up the threat as some trick you were used to. Eve picked you out just like the worm chose to take over Bobby, because you were close to the boys. Dangle a loved one’s feet under the fire to get all of you scared. Same crap, different monster.

You turned your attention away from the TV screen for a moment when you heard the door to the motel open and shut, greeted by a face that made a smile spread across your lips. Dean arrived back from his trip to the gas station, one hand holding a plastic bag filled with some junk and six pack in the other. You mumbled a hello and titled your head up to give him a kiss when he headed to the bed after setting the stuff down on the table. 

“What are we watching tonight?” Dean asked, plopping himself down on the bed. He kicked his feet up to the bed and rested an arm around your shoulder, pulling you closer to him. You wasted no time in wiggling yourself closer to him. He watched the movie you chose for a few seconds. From the tone of his voice, he didn’t sound too thrilled. “A black and white movie?” 

“My mom and I always would watch old movies on Friday nights. I think it’s called ‘The Three Faces of Eve’ or something.” You said. You watched the scene unfold for a moment or so longer until you looked up at Dean, only to see his expression changed slightly from hearing the title of the movie. You rolled your eyes. “Not exactly perfect title for the situation…but it’s a good one. You see, it’s about this woman who’s got multiple personalities. Just watch.”

The scene you were on was of Eve going to a psychiatrist for help after she suffers from all sorts of strange symptoms like memory loss and terrible headaches. What you loved most about the movie was the acting, how the actress playing Eve White could switch characters smoothly. You watched as Eve broke down into tears and hysteria, and just like that, a new personality that had been a voice in her head emerged, taking over her body. She always got headaches when Eve Black wanted to come out, and when she finally took control, she would never remember…

“You still think you’re human, Y/N? That you came out of the cage, all fresh and clean?”

Samuel’s voice suddenly rang out in your head, breaking your concentration away from the movie, distracting you from the performance of Eve Black, the fun and seductive side itching to come out. The voice inside Eve White’s head telling her to do all sorts of wrong things. Why, all of a sudden, would you remember a thing he said to you at a time like this? Because it was the last thing you remembered before you blacked out. You furrowed your brow slightly as you swallowed, trying your hardest now to pay attention. But your mind couldn’t. It started to fill with all sorts of questions.

Why would he say a thing like that? Was it some cheap trick to get under your skin at the time? There was no doubt about it that you were human. Cas told you himself. He wouldn’t dare lie about something like that. You, the boys and him went through so much trouble to make you human. Your own personal blackouts and headaches were because of a disorder that you were diagnosed with when you were a child…right? You moved your eyes away from the screen. Your blackouts started when you came back from hell. When you were working cases that were risky, it triggered something inside of you that made you shut down. Sometimes you lost five minutes, other times you lost hours.

“You still think Crowley pulled you out to hunt monsters? A thing like you, running around catching Alphas with me and Sam? Acting like you’re better than them. You’re always going to be a monster.”

“Trust me, what I did pales in comparison to what you did. And on more than one occasion. But we all come out smelling like a rose, thanks to Y/N…”

You were pulled out by Crowley because of the deal you made him back in the day when the apocalypse was nipping at your heels and you were teerting at the edge of becoming a demon. You wanted a way to be normal, to be human. So you sold–not your soul–but your loyalty to the once king of hell, to do whatever he asked of you. Catch a few monsters, torture one to see where Purgatory is. You could feel your breathing hitch in your throat from the thought that came to you. Not to mention that article you read while you were stuck in the universe of an actress playing the role of yourself. She spilled a secret there was more to this health scare.

The feeling of your phone vibrating underneath your thigh suddenly made you jump out of your skin, breaking you out of your thoughts and throwing you into reality again. Dean broke his gaze away from the TV and gave you a confused expression, wondering why you were jumpy. You ignored him and pulled out your phone to see the familiar name of Josh, with a quick mumbled excuse, you headed out the front door and made a dash for the Impala, away from earshot. You answered the phone after the fourth ring.

“Hey,” Josh greeted you with a friendly and chipper voice, a much different one from the one you heard a few days ago. “So I got the footage you sent me–nightmare fuel for the next few months if you ask me. Anyway, I tried all sorts of software to get a better image of that girl’s face. It’s impossible. But I didn’t stop there. I managed to get some info on this Mother of All. It’s not a lot, but it’s better than nothing.”

“Yeah. Thanks for the help.” You mumbled. “I appreciate it.”

"Of course. That’s what best friends do.” Josh said. His tone of voice was much more happier than yours. He noticed that you were rather quiet, like he could picture you standing in the parking lot of the motel, mind filled with too many things to process. “Let me guess…something’s bothering you.”

“I had another episode.” You admitted to him without a drop of hesitance. Josh knew all about your past, you told him the first time it happened while you were hunting a shifter. Probably the first step to finding its Alpha. Suddenly you feel homesick. Not because you wanted to be in your own bed, but because there was important documents. “Josh, I need a big favor. And I mean, big. You still have the key to my house?”

“Yeah. Have it on my key-chain. The one you gave me for Christmas.” Josh said. You felt the ends of your lips stretching into a weak smile from how much of a sentimental goof he was.”Was there something you need me to send you?”

“Sort of. You see, there’s a whole bunch of documents collecting dust in my attic. Stuff from my childhood, psych evals and doctor reports. I need you to get all of them. Every single piece of paper you can find.” You explained to him. Josh agreed, and then asked what triggered this sudden quest. “I just have this bad feeling. Like something’s wrong…there’s more to a problem than I thought.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Movie Scene Mentioned: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Knb5j_v-2TA&t=18s


	13. My Heart Will Go On.

Grief was an emotion you knew fairly well, more than you knew happiness. You had been introduced to it at the young age of ten and forced to live through the process of getting over a loved one’s death too many times to count on your fingers and toes. All though you lost people, it never got any easier. You knew the death of Rufus Turner, Bobby’s long time hunting partner and friend, despite the bad blood left between the both of them from a hunt gone wrong, was going to hit him hard than what he wanted to believe. It’d been a several days since you buried Rufus, and since Bobby got any sleep.

You crossed your arms over your chest and leaned yourself against the door frame leading to the kitchen, a sigh falling from your mouth at the sight that hadn’t changed in two days. Bobby sat at his desk with the book you found in the sewers a couple of virgin stealing dragons were using as a layer as well. He did his research with a bottle of whiskey near his reach and a clean glass to drink out of. He was now on his second bottle this morning. You winced slightly seeing him never take his eyes off the book he was reading and rip off the top to the new bottle before pouring himself another drink, not missing a beat on the routine.

The boys stood next to you, watching the sight of Bobby drinking himself to death. You broke your gaze away from the old man and to the brothers, who gave one another a serious expression from what they were witnessing. Sam whispered ever so quietly for Dean to talk to the man, try and say something to get Bobby to snap out of this. Dean quickly whispered for his younger brother to do it. And Sam, of course, mumbled a no, telling the older Winchester to do it. You looked down to see they decided to settle this with a game of rock, paper scissors. You rolled your eyes and shook your head from how immature they could be.

Each of them shook their fists a few times before displaying what they were play; Sam went with the safe option of paper, but he was beaten by Dean’s usual pick of the classic choice of scissors. Dean broke out into a grin when he dodged a grumpy, slightly drunk Bobby from yelling at him as Sam let out a sigh from what he was about to do. However, lucky for him, you were feeling a little sympathetic today. You stepped forward and cleared your throat, getting the old man’s attention to start off this conversation.

“Are you three gonna stand there like the ugly girl at the prom or are you gonna pitch in? This so-called Even, mother, whatever, ain’t gonna gank herself.” Bobby’s voice was the first one to speak, making you stop in your tracks. Your face scrunched up slightly from his unpleasant way with words today. He looked up from the books for the first today to acknowledge your presence. He noticed that you and the boys were staring at him with a look that made him snap at you with a grumpy tone. “What’s wrong with you three?”

You gave him a look from how he was acting, not sure if it was the slight drunkenness or grief that was making him so bitter. You wanted to show him you and the boys were concerned about his well being when you said, “Bobby, you haven’t slept in days.”

“I sleep.” The old man grumbled. You raised your brow from his reaction to the accusation you were throwing him. “What, you think I’m lying to you?”

“Y/N’s just trying to say that, you know,” Dean jumped into the conversation in your defense as he tried to explain the concern you were having for the man. “Taking five might be a good thing.”

“For whom?” Bobby questioned all of you.

“Look, Bobby,” Sam said, being the older hunter’s glaring eyes in his direction when he spoke. “It was tough for all of us, seeing Rufus go like that.”

“You think this—?” Bobby repeated what you and the boys were trying to get at. You gave him a sympathetic expression when he tried to deny how he was acting. “This ain’t about Rufus.”

“Bobby,” You mumbled the old man’s name. “He wasn’t just a poker buddy.”

“You know when I knew Rufus was done for? The day I met him. The only question was, who first—him or me? Now, you want to stand there and therapise, or you want to get me some coffee?” Bobby asked. You gave him a look from his short temper as the boys exchanged a glance from how badly this conversation backfired on them. “Make it Irish.”

You exhaled through your nostrils from how the conversation turned out worse than you were expecting. You knew Bobby wasn’t going to crack that easy and tell you about how he really felt, no matter everything you’ve been through with him over the past few years. But you didn’t expect him to be so damn grumpy. You and the boys honored his request for coffee by heading into the kitchen. With your back turned to the old man, let out another sigh and rubbed your face with your hands, trying your hardest not to let your own emotions get the best of you.

“Well, he’s doing fantastic.” Dean said, sarcasm clear in his words.

“Yeah, this isn’t about Rufus at all.” You mumbled. You walked over to the counter top and fetched a clean cup to start brewing a new pot of coffee for the older hunter.

“Well, what do you want to do?” Dean asked, as if you had some genius plan hiding up your sleeve. “I mean, we can’t just sit here and watch him poop out his liver.”

“Well, we could get him out of the house. There’s a job.” Sam suggested. You looked over your shoulder and gave the younger Winchester an interested expression and asked him what he had found. Sam pulled out a newspaper clipping and unfolded it to show you and his brother. “Look. Chester, Pennsylvania. Three people got kicked off in the last week, all freaky. Last guy got karate-chopped by his garage door. And these are all blood relatives.”

“What are you thinking, family curse?” Dean wondered, his younger brother shrugged his shoulders and mumbled that it could be. You and Dean looked at each other and gave a shrug. It was the best thing you could up with in the past week. “Hey grumpy—“ Dean started to call out for Bobby’s attention, yet he stopped when he noticed the man was standing right behind him. “You, uh—?”

“I don’t want to do crap. Leave me alone. Just, get out of my house, both of you. You’re driving me nuts.” Bobby grumbled. You gave the man the same look at how he was acting as you spoke his name, trying once more to sound soft and sympathetic, but you were starting to sound more annoying than anything. Your attempts at trying to help resulted in him waving in arm from how frustrated he got at your millionth attempt at trying to get something out of him. “Now! For the love of Pete.”

You got out of the man’s way before he could bite off your head again. You set down the coffee cup on the counter and bolted for the door as the boys followed behind. Sam tucked the newspaper clipping back into his jacket before he set foot back outside. All of you headed to the garage where the car was parked. Your hand slid across the cold metal before it hit the mental door handle, you yanked it open and did the usual routine of pushing the seat forward so you could slip into the backseat that was all your own. The mustang was a great car, you loved it since you first laid eyes on it all those years ago. But it was a bitch always getting in and out.

Sam got himself seat in the passenger side of the car and faced forward. As Dean was about to shove the keys into the ignition, his little brother decided to give an excuse to stick around for a little while longer. You know, maybe we should wait ‘till she gets back.” Sam suggested out of concern for how Bobby was acting just a few minutes ago.

“Dude, she just called from the road, said she’d be here in two shakes.” Dean said. He looked over at his brother and let him decide what to do next. “You really wanna sit around and smell him stew in his juices.”

“I’ve got twenty years experience under my belt. There’s no use with him.” You mumbled, looking back at the house from the backseat window. “Just drive.”

\+ + +

It took about a day’s drive to head to Pennsylvania and find the crime scene of the latest victim who dropped dead on suspicious terms in the past week alone. You and the boys investigated the garage in the darkness, the only light source coming from the flashlights you carried close to your sides to help examine for any sort of clues that might help explain why a man’s head was cut clean off by his garage door. To some, they might think it was a freak accident with a family who had a string of bad luck. To you and the boys, it was a case. Your first guess was a spirit who had a serious vendetta against the family. However, the very quiet EMF reader told you a different outcome.

“Not a beep.” You said, turning off the reader along with the quiet buzz it was giving off.

“Well, not a vengeful spirit, then. So what is it?” Sam thought out loud. You shrugged your shoulders and continued to look around the place, wondering if you were going to find anything to help figure out what was the cause of this. Sam headed over to the garage door where he spotted a faintly darker spot on the concrete, the place where the victim got his head cut clean off. His flashlight, however, came across something that was reflective. He bent down and picked up the peculiar object to examine it further. "Huh.”

“Whatcha got?” Dean asked. You and him headed over to see Sam was holding what appeared to be at first a piece of string, but with closer inspection, you noticed that it was too reflective in the light to be thread. “What is that, Christmas tinsel?”

“I don’t know.” Sam mumbled, it didn’t feel like tinsel. He looked around the garage and spotted a flower pot sitting on a work table just a few steps from where he stood. You watched as he grabbed it and rubbed the string down the ceramic pot. It left a streak of some sort, making you wonder what it might be. “It’s gold.”

“You mean, like, gold gold?” You asked. Sam nodded his head and looked down at the string to examine it with a closer touch and sight. You looked around the place, trying to figure out a logical explanation before you jumped the gun here about where it came from. “Why would a handyman have gold just lying around in his garage?”

“I don’t know. There is definitely a skeleton in this family’s closet. I mean, accidents don’t just happen accidentally.” Dean said. His way with words made you and Sam look over at the man, making him realize how dumb be sounded.The older Winchester rolled his eyes in annoyance. “You know what I mean.”

“All right. How about I’ll go check family records, you and Y/N go with next of kin?” Sam suggested a plan for tomorrow. You nodded your head in agreement, knowing you needed to find out who was next on the list before someone else got hurt.

\+ + +

Helping people was the reason why you started hunting in the first place. You loved knowing you took down a monster so someone could live to see another day. You met so many different people over the years, some memorable, others you’d like to forget. Almost all of them were decent people who deserved to be saved…Yet you were wondering why you were bothering today with this chump. You scratched the back of your neck from the thought that shouldn’t have crossed your mind while you sat in the office of the next of kin you researched for late last night.

Russo was his name, a defense lawyer in a cheat three piece suit. His sweet secretary ushered you and Dean inside while the man finished up what sounded like an important business call. You gave him a smile when he looked over his shoulder to see you were waiting for him to wrap up the call while the older Winchester sat next to you, quietly reading a pamphlet he found sitting on the desk to make time fly by.

“On the courthouse steps—for the deposition. No, I told you, 3:00 p.m. No, my usual fees. I got to go, Ma.” Russo sat himself back down in his office chair and rolled forward to hang up the phone after standing around chatting for the last five minutes.You and Dean looked at each other from who the man was talking to. You wiped the smile that threatened to spread across your lips as Dean folded up the pamphlet and put it back where he found it. Russo turned his attention to the both of you, wondering why all of you were here again. “I’m sorry, uh, what department?”

“Genealogy. From the university.” You explained to the man, your lips stretching into a smile as you told him the bogus excuse you came up with this morning in order to get some information out of him. “We’re doing a study on local families, and, well, the Russos are—”

“Yeah, well, you know what?” Russo cut you off, “I got to tell you, I am extremely busy right now, so—”

“Yeah, I’m sure you’ve had a rough week. We read about the recent tragedies.” Dean said, pretending to be sympathetic towards a man who really didn’t want to be dealing with you right now during his busy work schedule. “Your cousins, right?”

“Yeah. It’s a shame. But I’m not that close with my family, so, uh…” Russo sighed and waved his hands slightly, growing more impatient from the small polite talk. “Is this gonna take long?”

“No. Five minutes. Five minutes.” You reassured the man with another bright smile. You opened up the notepad in your lap and clicked your pen, ready for any tragic deaths or murders, maybe even an old folktale about a witch who cursed the family a century ago you might need to write down for research later tonight. “Uh, can you tell us anything noteworthy about the Russos?”

“Noteworthy? No.” Russo said. He turned his gaze away from the computer he was playing around with, hitting a few keys, clicking a few documents that were more obviously important than you. You remained staring at him with a polite smile while he stared at you with a blank expression. “I mean, not exactly—average, you know, big, from Italy.”

“I see. Uh,” Dean glanced over to the blank notepad to make it seem you came prepared with a list of questions you wanted to ask the man. “Was anyone ever killed or maimed in a war or, you know, some other violent thing?”

Russo scoffed slightly from the ridiculous sounding question, "What do you mean?”

“Like something so dark that it would sully future generations.” Dean explained a bit better for the man to understand. Russo folded his hands together on his desk and stared at the both of you with a slightly weirded out expression. He managed to slowly shake his head no to answer your question. “Good. Good stuff. Anyone own a slave?”

Russo’s face dropped slightly, “What?”

“Routine question. Any ties to the Nazi Party?“ Dean wondered. This conversation was heading in a direction Russo wasn’t expecting, but you got his attention with each stranger question the older Winchester asked the man. You needed to be thorough if you wanted to save this man’s life. "Did grandma ever piss off a gypsy?”

“Okay, you know what?” Russo stood up from his chair, seeming to have had enough of these bazzar questions. “I don’t know what kind of study you’re doing, but it’s over. Right now. So if you don’t mind—”

“Okay, okay. We’ll just cut to the chase here.” You said. You pushed yourself back up to your feet and gave the man the real reason why you and Dean were here, asking all sorts of weird questions about his family that he wasn’t so close with. Sometimes honesty was the best policy in these cases. “Um, your life is in danger.”

“What? What is that, a threat?” Russo questioned you, his voice rising with each word he spoke. He took your words of caution in a whole other direction than what you intended. It took all your willpower not to roll your eyes from how dramatic he was being. “Are you threatening me?!”

“No, no, no. No, no. We’re not threatening you.” Dean said. He attempted to get the man to calm down, but his words came off more ominous than helpful. “We’re just simply saying that if you don’t watch your back, you’re gonna die.”

“Get the hell out of my office.” Russo ordered in a low, threatening tone of his own. You raised your hand up in defeat and mumbled an okay. Neither you or Dean were moving fast enough for Russo’s liking when he shouted at you. “Now!”

You gave him a dirty look from how he raised your voice and marched out of his office before he could pull any sort of drastic measure. You and Dean began heading out of the building and to the car parked, a little disappointed you couldn’t find a single lead. Which meant a whole bunch of research coming your way tonight. You pulled out your phone and punched in Sam’s number, hoping he had some more luck than you and his brother had. But you highly doubted that. Luck was never and friend of yours. More like an enemy.

“Find anything?” Sam asked you after the both of you exchanged a quick hello.

“Uh, one asshat in a shiny suit.” You said. “Tell me you got something, Sammy.”

“Not much. Great grandparents born in Calabria. Emigrated 1912. Been here ever since.” He told you the nonexistent information you were dreading. You let out a frustrated sigh, asking if he might have missed a severed horse head buried in the family’s history. Something, anything at this point to explain what was going on. Sam chuckled at your tasteless Italian joke. “Four generations of picket fence.”

“If these people are the Waltons, then why the hell are they dying?” You posed the important question on all of your minds, only the answer remained a mystery with another victim clueless for what was about to come their way.

You opened the passenger side door and slid yourself into the seat across from Dean, who took his rightful spot behind the wheel. You wrapped up the call with Sam, telling him you’d meet him back at the motel for the tedious research you weren’t particularly looking forward to. Dean started up the engine as you looked around at the interior of the mustang you’d been riding around in for long as you possibly could remember. You loved old cars, you grew up around them since you were young and even helped fix up a few of them while your nose wasn’t buried in a book. You just wished that your boyfriend would get one that had four doors.

\+ + +

Another freak accident, another dead body. You and the boys were barely an hour into research before you got wind someone else had passed away in a way that was too weird to ignore. When was the last time you heard someone being choked to death by a copier? Never, if you had to be honest. You stepped into the office that looked like it belonged to the travel agent who croaked late this afternoon. All sorts of posters displaying places like Cuba and the Bahamas were the few of many options for people who wanted to get away to a luxury vacation. White sand, clear beaches and drinking out of a coconut.

“Anne Witting.” You read off a name of the business card you found sitting on the victim’s desk, a smiling porit of a woman was above the name. You examined her fair skin and red hair, not sure if you would consider her of Italian descent. She looked more Irish. “You sure she’s not a Russo, a second cousin twice removed or something?”

“No, I checked the records twice.” Sam said. You dropped the card to the desk and continued to walk around the office, wondering what you might find to explain this situation. Maybe it was just an accident, you thought. You scoffed. And maybe unicorns were real. “She’s not related.”

“Well, if this isn’t a family curse, then what the hell is it?” Dean asked.

“You got me.” Sam said, who pulled out some files from a box and began to skim through them for any sort of useful information. “I got nothing.”

You continued wandering around the place as the boys stuck with going through paperwork to try and find a trail that might lead to some sort of connection leading to the both of them. Maybe they had helped the same person. Your flashlight illuminated all sorts of things, nothing anything too exciting, until you neared the desk again. As you looked down at the ground, you stopped in your tracks before you could step on it—a gold thread. You bent down and ever so delicately picked it up, seeming to have found the connection you were looking for.

\+ + +

Two dead bodies and a piece of gold string found at each crime scene, it was about the best lead you and the boys had going for. Along with the fact that the poor people had their lives cut short from a fatal “accident” that left you scratching your head in a bit of confusion. Nobody got beheaded by their garage door and it was more than just bad luck for someone to get choked by a fax machine after their keys somehow got misplaced behind there and their scarf got caught in the thing. But you had no valid proof something supernatural caused this to happen. There was no EMF to detect a pissed off spirit, no traces of sulfur or even a lingering smell and no hex bag to rat out a witch seeking a bit of revenge. All of it appeared to be accidental. But in the words of Dean himself, accidents just don’t happen “accidentally.”

You and the boys headed back to the motel to reevaluate the evidence that you did have and try to dig deeper on the family history of the two victims that was a little too squeaky clean. You decided while you sat at the table with Sam, both of your laptops open, and little help from the internet to guide you to an answer, there was somebody who might know something. When in doubt, you always called Bobby when you were in a pinch. But you were smart enough than to call him up when he was in such a mood. So you settled for the very next best thing—Ellen. She happily answered the phone when she noticed your incoming call.

You explained to Ellen about the situation going on, from the strange accidental deaths and the piece of gold thread pinched between your fingers. When she asked you to describe it, you tilted your head to the side and tried your hardest. “So, we found another piece of this, I don’t know,” You shrugged your shoulders, not sure what kind of adjectives you could describe a piece of thread “Shiny string. It was at both scenes.”

“Oh, I was afraid of that.” Ellen mumbled. You dropped the hand holding the string to the laptop keyboard, asking her why. “Oh, these so-called accidents—we’re seeing ‘em nationwide. About seventy-five so far. I got Jo and her crew working on a cluster in California.”

“Blood relatives?” You presumed, wondering if this thing was a curse that was affecting families. But the biggest question was why people were dropping like flies because of some crazy accident. And why the hell a piece of string was left at each scene, like it was the calling card of some sick and twisted monster claiming its work.

“Some yeah, some no.” Ellen said. “She’s got about what you do—pile of bodies and a whole bunch of gold thread.”

“So what’s it mean?” You asked the woman.

“I don’t know.” Ellen admitted. “I got Bobby working on it right now.”

You twirled the piece of string between your fingers and stared at your laptop screen, suddenly becoming worried at the mention of the man who had raised you since you were ten. You’d seen him with his ups and downs, but never bad as this. “How’s he doing, by the way?” You curiously asked, trying your hardest not to worry Ellen from the sound of your voice.

“Oh, don’t worry, Y/N.” Ellen reassured you. “I’m kicking his ass back to health and happiness.”

“Who asked you to? To hell with you.” Bobby’s voice echoed from the other line, his crude and sarcastic attitude clear as day. The ends of your lips stretched into a faint smile deciding to take it as a sign he was doing all right. And you felt more reassured that he wouldn’t be alone during such a hard time in his life. Ever since Ellen had come into his life, she’d been nothing but good for him. And everyone else, too.

“I heard that.” You said, calling Bobby out on his rude behavior. Ellen chuckled at what unfolded and reassured you once again that he would be okay. But you knew Rufus’ untimely death didn’t just affect the older hunter. It was taking a toll on all of you. You couldn’t help but ask the woman out of concern, “Are you okay?”

“Aw, honey, you’re sweet.” Ellen mumbled. “You know me. I just worry about you boys.”

“Yeah, well. We’re all doing fine.” You said. You looked up from your laptop screen to see Sam was diligently working on his laptop as Dean sat across the room on his bed, silently watching TV. You pushed yourself up to your feet and began walking over to Dean, taking the liberty to take a much needed break from your laptop and plopped yourself down on his bed. “All right, so, all these corpses, anything relate 'em?”

"Well, actually, I did dig up one thing. I just don’t know what to make of it.” Ellen. You hummed quietly, informing her that you were listening to what she had to say. You continued on the conversation while you mindlessly watched whatever sort of show Dean was watching. “Well, it’s a weird one, and it was buried pretty deep, but Bobby and me were combing through the family trees on all the victims, and we started seeing, well, the families all came over to America the same year.”

“Really? That is weird.” You noted.

“Yeah. 1912. But here’s the real weird part.” Ellen said, getting to the part where you would get a kick out of. “They all came over on the same boat.”

You furrowed your brow slightly, finding that bit of information way too strange for that to be a coincidence. That might be the connection to what was going on here. Only you had no possible information to make such a theory. “All right, so what’s so special about the boat?”

“Nothing. It was a boat.” Ellen said. “It did what boats do.”

“What was it called?” You asked.

“The Titanic. Did you ever hear of it?” She wondered, you told her no. You weren’t familiar with the name. If it was just a boat that sailed across the sea, then why the hell was it killing off its passengers families nearly a century later? And for no apparent reason, you might add. “Yeah, me neither. I’ll keep digging.”

You exchanged your goodbyes to the woman and ended the conversation with more information that you had to start. You thought for a moment to yourself while you sat up in bed, Dean’s arm wrapped loosely around your waist, trying to somehow keep you here for a little while longer. You remained where you were, trying to think of you knew anything about this boat, if you might have learned it in school or not. There had to be something. But your mind was coming up blank on this one.

“Hey, guys,” You spoke up, getting each of their attention. “Does the name Titanic ring a bell?”

Dean thought about it for a few seconds before answering no. Sam took a little longer, but even his big brain of his, the man couldn’t recollect on any sort of information that connected to the Titanic. You unwillingly stepped away from the bed and Dean’s embrace and back to the rickety old chair and your laptop. It took a few minutes of searching the Titanic to find a complete website dedicated to the boat. Skimming the information, you picked out what seemed slightly interesting and read it back to the boys.

“Okay, so, the RMS Titanic was the largest passenger steamship in the world when it made its maiden voyage across the North Atlantic in 1912.” You read off the first paragraph you found.

“So what’s the big friggin’ deal?” Dean asked, not seeing what the big fuss was all about. “It’s a ship. It sailed.”

“On the evening of April 14, 1912 the Titanic had a dangerously close call with an iceberg. Only the sharp eyes of the First Mate, Mr. I.P. Freely saved the ship from disaster. Despite the late hour, and poor visibility conditions, Mr. Freeley spotted the iceberg which was almost one hundred (100) feet high and four hundred (400) feet long. Emergency maneuvers averted what would surely have been a disastrous collusion. Freeley was hailed a hero by the passengers and crew.”

"Looks like there was a close call. Ship almost hit an iceberg. Luckily the first mate spotted it just in time.” You said, telling the boys about the near fatal crash that took the ship down. You read more of the paragraph that told of the dangerous night that almost ended in disaster. The more you read, the more eerily strange from the coincidence. Dean looked you, wondering why you were staring at the laptop screen with a bit of a confused expression. “Uh, this first mate. Mr I.P. Freeley.”

“Well, that’s not suspicious. You got a picture of old Freeley?” Dean asked. You scrolled through the website where you found a grainy black and white picture of the crew. Clicking on it, you pulled up a bigger version, and of the man dubbed a hero. Who you saw made your face drop in slight twinge of annoyance. Dean headed over as Sam leaned over the table to get a good look himself. It didn’t take long for Sam to have the same reaction as you did. All Dean needed to do was take a quick glance to realize why the man looked so familiar. He let out a frustrated sigh. “Balthazar.”

You didn’t have a very good friendship with Balthazar. He had a knack for elaborate, over the top schemes you and the boys always seemed to get in the middle of. You weren’t the least bit surprised to see that he had landed himself in more trouble. His choices and bad plans to only benefit him were inconvenient and annoying, but this…whatever sort of trick was up his sleeve, it was causing the lives of too many people. You and the boys decided to have a friendly chat with him. However, in order to get into contact with angel, praying wasn’t a valid option for you. So you chose to summon him.

The process wasn’t an easy one. You shut the curtains to give the three of you privacy while the boys moved the table across the room to give all of you more room. You removed the laptops from the table so Sam could place down a bowl full of all sorts of ingredients after Dean drew a few familiar sigils in chalk. To add the final touch, you lit a match against the box before throwing it into the bowl, watching as the flame ignited before dying down. You looked around the room to see that things were working when you noticed the lights began to flicker, a few bulbs even burst from what was about to happen.

“Boys, boys, boys. And the lovely, always delightful Y/N.” Balthazar’s familiar accent filled the room, signaling his arrival. You turned around to see the angel himself. Your lips stretched into a frown. “Whatever can I do for you?”

“We need to talk.” You informed the angel.

“Oh,” Balthazar mumbled. He took notice of your body language, crossed arms over your chest and annoyed glare, to realize you summoned him on not so good terms. “You seem upset, Y/N.”

“I kind of am. You see, the boys and I are working this case. And you know whose face I come across while doing research for this case?” You asked him. Before Balthazar could try and give a sarcastic answer, you tell him. “Yours! What the hell is with the boat, Balthazar.”

“What boat are you possibly referring to, darling? I’ve been around for a very long time. Seen a lot of boats.” Balthazar said. You narrowed your eyes on him in annoyance at his response. “Be more specific, that’s all I’m asking.”

“The Titanic.” You told him in a sharp tone. “Ring any bells?”

“Oh. Ja. The Titanic. Yes, well, uh, it was meant to sink, and I saved it.” Balthazar explained to all of you. His voice was all too casual, acting as if he was talking about the weather. You raised your brow slightly from what you just heard and asked him what he meant by that. “Well it was meant to bash into this iceberg thing and plunge into the briny deep with all this hoopla, and I saved it. Anything else I can answer for you?”

“Why?” Sam asked the angel.

Balthazar looked at the younger Winchester with a bit of a confused expression by his question, “Why what?”

“Why did you un-sink the ship?” Dean asked again more clearly this time, and a little bit slower. Due to the fact that he was trying to keep his patience.

“Oh, because I hated the movie.” Balthazar said.

Your face scrunched up slightly, “What movie?”

Balthazar let out a laugh, “Exactly.” 

“Wait, so you saved a cruise liner because—“ Sam said, trying to wrap his head around what he was hearing.

“Because that God-awful Celine Dion song made me want to smite myself.” Balthazar said. You and the boys grew confused at the name the angel mentioned. “Before you waste your time asking, she’s not important. Thanks to my wonderful plan she’s a destitute lounge singer somewhere in Quebec, and let’s keep it that way, please.”

“Okay, I didn’t think that was possible.” Sam said. “I thought you couldn’t change history.”

“Oh, haven’t you noticed? There’s no more rules, boys.” Balthazar said. The angel grew a smirk at his plan that he thought was oh, so brilliant. Only it was causing all sorts of problems. But you highly doubted Balthazar thought that far ahead to get whatever he wanted.

“Wow. The nerve on you.” Sam mumbled. He slowly shook his head and scoffed at what he was hearing from the angel. “So you just, what, un-sunk a giant boat?”

“Oh come on. I saved people.” Balthazar defended himself against the younger Winchester and his judgemental glare. “I thought you loved that kind of thing.”

“Yeah, but now those people and their kids and their kids’ kids, they must have interacted with so many other people, changed so much crap. You totally Butterfly-Affected history!” Sam said. He pointed out the big, glaring flaw Balthazar refused to think about to get his own way.

“Dude. Dude.” Dean mumbled, getting his brother’s attention. You rolled your eyes from what he felt the need to bring up at a time like this. “Rule one, no Kutcher references.”

“Ah, yes. Unfortunately, there’s still an Ashton Kutcher. And you still averted the Apocalypse, and there are still Archangels. But, thanks to me, I made it a bit harder for them to do it. It’s just the small details that are different, like you don’t drive an Impala.” Balthazar said. Your face scrunched up slightly at the mention of a car you don’t think you’ve ever heard of. The angel spoke up quickly, not feeling the need to waste time on unimportant knowledge. “Yes, yes. ‘What’s an Impala?’ Trust me, it’s not important. You see, Y/N wasn’t supposed to be raised by Bobby. Along with the fact that Ellen and Jo aren’t supposed to be alive.”

"Wait, what?” You asked the angel, suddenly becoming way too confused at what was going on here to keep up with what he was explaining. Balthazar walked over to the small kitchen area where he spotted a bottle of unopened whiskey. He took it upon himself to pour himself a drink

while you thought more about what he said. “What do you mean?”

“You see, your darling mother—Ella, right? She was supposed to end up with a different man that you think is your real father, who died when you were six. A whole bunch of nonsense. Basically you’re supposed to be a half demon. The apocalypse was supposed to go a

other way. A bunch of things.” Balthazar said. He twisted off the top to the whiskey and poured a drink while he explained. “Luckily I tipped off a cherub to point his magic arrow somewhere else so you could be raised by Bobby, who you always went on about being your ‘real’ father. And, of course there was that whole ordeal with Ellen and Jo.”

“What?” You mumbled, your voice suddenly growing eerily quiet.

"Ella wasn’t supposed to have died when you were a kid and by that hound. She was supposed to sell her soul, sell her husband’s soul and all that jazz. Ellen and Jo are supposed to be dead.” Balthazar said. “You see, I save a boat, those peoples’ kids have kids, your mother falls in love with someone else, one thing leads to another, which leads to another thousand things, and yada, yada, yada. To cut a long story short, they don’t die in a massive explosion and you three get to grow up together. Let’s agree I did a good thing. One less Billy Zane movie and I saved two of your closest friends.”

You weren’t sure what the hell was going on anymore. Your way into this world and upbringing wasn’t a usual one. You learned when you were in your early twenties that your mother made a deal with Azazel, a yellow eyed demon responsible for the tragedy in your life, to have a child after she couldn’t get pregnant. Deals only brought ten years. Your mother thought she could try and outrun a hellhound. You remembered on your tenth birthday you were in the process of moving, somewhere far away. It had been just the two of you since your father was killed in a car accident when you were six years old. She just wanted a normal life.

But your mother’s idea of a perfect life was cut short when she was ripped apart by a hellhound. And you heard it all. All you remembered about the tragedy was locking yourself in a closet, petrified you would mauled by a beast you could hear, but couldn’t see. John Winchester and Bobby found you a few days after your mother died. While John had his hands full with his own two sons, Bobby couldn’t stomach the idea of letting you out of his sight, so he took you in. He’d been your father figure ever since then. You didn’t know what you’d do without him, but hearing all of this from Balthazar, about how things were supposed to be different, the room felt like it was spinning.

"But now somebody is killing the descendants of the survivors.” Sam said, his voice bringing you back into the situation right in front of you. Balthazar raised his brow, wondering why he should care about such a thing. “And that’s maybe, like, fifty thousand people.”

Balthazar continued to stare at the three of you with a blank expression, “And?”

“And we need to save as many people as we can, but we need to know who’s after them.” The older Winchester explained the situation a bit more clearly for Balthazar to understand without really having to think about the mess he just made.

“Oh, uh, sorry, uh. You have me confused with the other angel—you know, the one in the dirty trench coat who’s in love with you. I…don’t care.” Balthazar spoke the last three words rather slowly, making sure you and the boys would get the message so you wouldn’t bug him again. You scoffed as he took a long sip of his drink to finish it up. “Goodbye, boys. And it’s been a pleasure, Y/N.”

“Whoa, whoa, wait, wait, wait, wait.” Dean said, trying to get the angel to stay for a few more minutes. He stepped forward in an attempt to try and stop Balthazar, but when you blinked, the angel vanished from your sight, leaving you to clean up the mess he made. “Son of a bitch!”

\+ + +

After you were left high and dry by Balthazar, you and the boys tried to figure out the extent of the consequences you were left to deal with by the angel after he unsank a boat for the sake of keeping a movie from being made and a lounge singer from seeking fame. The most troubling fact you had to break to Bobby was about Ellen and Jo and their…different path. You knew it was going to break his heart to hear the news. You tried to postpone it far as you could while you explained the situation to the older hunter on speaker phone.

“So, Balthazar un-sank a boat, and now we got a boatload of people who should never have been born.” Bobby said, recapping the information you and the boys told him over the past few minutes.

“Yeah. Like fifty-thousand.” Sam said, giving the haunting number of people you were supposed to try and save. The older hunter’s response wasn’t what you were anticipating. He seemed casual, saying that all of this made sense. “How does any of this make sense?”

“Because I got an idea who we’re up against. Fate.” Bobby said. Fate was a word that meant everything happens for a reason, why your life ended the way it did was because that’s how the reality of things were written out. You always thought of the word as a concept, something someone higher up chose, like God himself. It turned out fate might not be a concept, more of a person in charge of how things turned out.. “I mean Fate, like the Fates. Or one of 'em, at least.”

“You mean like Greek mythology?” You wondered. “Like the sisters?”

You could thank all of your knowledge about the things that went bump in the night on Bobby. He taught you everything you needed to know. And you spent most of your time reading the dusty books cluttered all over his house. What else was a girl to do? Dean’s mumbled remark of calling you a nerd didn’t go unnoticed. You gave him a look as you lightly kicked him in the shin.

“These ladies are responsible for how you go down, literally. So if you get creamed by a garage door or crunched by a copy machine, they’re the ones who hammer out the details of how you die. Spin out your fate on a piece of pure gold.“ Bobby explained to all of you. You realized the gold thread found at each scene of where the victims had died was for a reason. It made sense from what Bobby was saying. "And then one of 'em writes it all down in her Day Runner of Death. It’s high-level stuff. Anyway—fits. Now we know what Balthazar did. It seems to me that maybe Fate is just trying to clean up the mess.”

Sam asked the question on everyone’s mind, “So, how do we stop it?”

“How do we stop Fate? Good question.” Bobby said.

“Well, there’s got to be a way.” Dean said, thinking there had to be a loophole of some sort.

“Or there ain’t. I mean, this is Fate we’re talking about here. You know, the easiest way would be to get that angel to re-sink the boat.” Bobby said. You found yourself shooting down the idea in a heartbeat before he could try and suggest it again. “Big difference between dying awful and never being born, Y/N.”

“We are not sinking the boat, Bobby. Okay?“ You told him in a tone of voice that you didn’t want to hear anymore of this. You never spoke to Bobby like this. But you didn’t want to change the way things were, the way you grew up to think that this was how it was meant to be. You knew things were more complicated than you could handle, but you’d deal with it. “Don’t even think about it.”

“Well, okay. What’s got you biting my head off? Normally you’re all about doing the right thing.” Bobby said. You let out a quiet sigh as you found your gaze lingering over to the boys, as if you were hoping for some guidance on what to say next. Bt they looked overwhelmed themselves at what the right thing to do was. So, you told the man that it was nothing. Bobby didn’t believe your excuse. “Try that again?”

“Look, it doesn’t even really matter, but…” Dean decided to spare you from breaking the bad news when he spoke up, however he found himself growing silent for a moment, not wanting to tell the man the bitter truth. But, he forced himself to. “Apparently, a crapload of dominoes get tipped over if the Titanic goes down. And, uh, bottom line—Ellen and Jo die.”

The other line suddenly went quiet when Dean told the older hunter the news. You bit the inside of your cheek as you imagined what must have been going through his mind right now. Bobby and Ellen had been married for over a year now, since the apocalypse wrapped up. Both of them were head over heels in love with each other. Ellen was like a mother you never had, and Bobby was a father figure to you since you were little. The thought of things being different made you feel uneasy. When Bobby spoke up a few moments later, his response to the information wasn’t the least bit surprising.

"Okay, you three. Listen up.” Bobby spoke up, his voice dead serious. “You make sure… Keep those angels from sinking that boat. Do you understand me?”

You and the boys agreed with the plan. You ended the call on that note, only you found yourself feeling more overwhelmed at what you were ahead of. Along with the fact that you had no clue how the hell to fix any of this. You tossed the phone to the bed and let out a loud sigh.

"He’s bad enough without her.” You mumbled. “Think how he’d be if she was gone.”

“Yeah.” Sam sighed, knowing the situation ahead of you was going to be a moral dilemma. “So, what do we do? I mean, how do we save fifty-thousand people?”

“I got no freaking clue.” Dean said.

“We don’t even know who they are.” Sam added more details you didn’t want to think about.

You were about to let out another sigh from the trouble ahead of you as you turned your head slightly in the direction of the nightstand. You noticed something sitting on the ledge, leaning forward, you realized it was the pamphlet Dean grabbed from the office of one Sean Russo. A dick in a shiny suit—who might be the next victim of Fate. And your only possible lead in stopping this situation before it could get any worse than it already was.

\+ + +

The next morning you and the boys decided to stake out Russo’s office to catch him off guard this time. You called his secretary, posing as a potential client, asking when he’d be available, big surprise to hear that he was all booked with appointments. You watched from the backseat window as car passed by every so often, blocking your view of the front door to the office. It was a little over an hour of waiting before you spotted Russo. He was making his way out with a client from the looks of it, who looked in terrible shape from the neck brace and cane he had to use while walking. You scoffed at how Russo acted. He just radidated bad vibes.

You and the boys got out from the car to tail Russo in attempt to get his attention. While you and the boys called out the man’s name to get his attention, the man was at least twenty feet ahead of you, too wrapped up in his phone conversation that he took to acknowledge either one of you.

“I don’t care. Send him a fruitcake.” Russo said to the person on the other line. You tried to get the man’s attention when you called out his name a little louder, but he continued to chat into his phone, getting closer to the end of the sidewalk to cross the street. You had a feeling he was too wrapped up in his conversation to look both ways. “Who’s the judge? Ah, no. 20 bucks. Believe me, this guy—he owes me.”

“Russo, stop!”

You took no chances when you called out his name on the top of your lungs. While you did get his attention, it was at the possibly worst time. You looked to see that there was a van speeding down the road, showing no signs of breaking for pedestrians. Before Russo could become roadkill, Dean lunged forward, saving the day by grabbing ahold of the man and roughly shoving him to the sidewalk, getting him out of the way. Russo went tumbling to the ground as his cell phone bounced a foot or so away.

The driver slammed on his breaks, exactly where Russo was just standing a few moments ago. If none of you had acted when you did, Russo would have been good as dead. But it seemed the man wasn’t feeling gratitude for your act of heroism.

“Get off of me.” Russo ordered, pushing away Sam’s awaiting hand to help the man back up on his feet. You gave Russo a dirty look when he snatched his phone away from your grip after you generously picked it up for him. “And you—I told you and your creepy friend to leave me alone, didn’t I?”

"Look, we’re just trying to help you out, okay?” You said, Russo scoffed at your excuse.

“Help me?! You almost killed me, you lunatic. Unbelievable.“ Russo grumbled underneath his breath. You gave him a dirty look at how he was acting as he began attempting to walk across the street now that it was clear of any cars. Dean tried to get the man’s attention, causing Russo to stop in the middle of the street. "Just be glad I’m not suing your a—!”

Russo would never be able to finish his passive threat, and those would the last words he would ever get the chance to say. Things turned for the worst at what happened next. Nobody saw it coming. A bus came hurtling down the street, going too fast to stop for the idiot that stepped into the road and didn’t move when the bus was approaching. You and the boys stood there in silence, eyes wide and mouths parted open, wondering what the hell you just witnessed.

\+ + +

Death has a funny way of showing up when you least expect it. You and the boys thought Sean Russo had potentially given another day to live. He might have been majorly pissed off at all of you after you distracted him while a speeding van nearly hit him, but he was alive. And it was more than his other family members could say after they bit the dust. Maybe a few more incidents would happen before he realized he was cursed for a fate that was following his family. Yet all of you would never be able to help him ever again. Because right when you think you’ve defeated death, it comes creeping out of nowhere…taking you by surprise.

Russo was standing in the middle of the road, threatening to sue all of you if you didn’t get out of his sight. The lawyer would never be able to finish when the bus came out of nowhere. He would never be able to finish what he wanted to say, he would never do anything again. Because his body was crushed against the front of the city bus and a pool of his own blood was smeared across the pavement. You finally managed to close your mouth after a minute or so, your mind processing what you just witnessed. Dean was the first one who managed to find his voice, commenting on the events that had unraveled right in front of your very eyes.

“You’ve got to be kidding me.” Dean mumbled. You let out a breath from what you witnessed as the bus was parked now, its passengers getting off to see what the extent of the damage was. You couldn’t get yourself to stop staring at the shoe in the middle of the road, the one Russo had been wearing before he was swept off his feet. Dean, who had a sense of humor of a ten year old, noticed something on the back of the bus to bring some humor to the situation. “Guys, check it out.”

You followed the direction of where Dean’s finger was pointing to, wondering what was so important that he needed to share at a time like this. When you saw it was of an advertisement of Russo’s smiling face and his law firm, you didn’t know if you should cringe or wince at the irony. You looked over at the Winchester as your expression changed into disbelief. You shook your head, “Really?”

Dean’s smile began to slowly fade when he saw you and his brother didn’t find it amusing as he did. He shifted his footing from side to side as he felt slightly embarrassed. “Too soon?”

“Yeah, Dean.” Sam said. I’m pretty sure six seconds is too soon.”

The younger Winchester gave his brother a deadpan stare when Dean shrugged his shoulders at his humor, you rolled your eyes in annoyance. Sam averted his attention to the crowd that was beginning to grow around the accident. Yet the man knew better than to call any of this that. He began to cautiously skim the crowd, wondering if there was someone here that might be marveling in their work and holding something that would leave a piece of gold thread. Bobby said Fate liked to write down her work. Which meant she might be holding a book of some sort. Sam didn’t see anyone of that description. He looked around the streets and the shops, hoping he might spot her blending into the crowd.

Sam skimmed the area before his attention settled on a restaurant under construction before its grand opening. It seemed like nobody was working inside the building today, so why was there someone peeking out the small window on the door. Sam narrowed his eyes when he realized it wasn’t a worker, but a woman who looked to be in her twenties, observing the sight behind her black-rimmed glasses. She didn’t seem disturbed by the gruesome accident, she was more…calm, pleased at what she witnessed. The woman looked away from the bus when she got the feeling someone was staring at her. Sam furrowed his brow slightly when the two of them made eye contact. She didn’t react. The woman simply backed away and vanished from sight.

“Hey. I think I saw her.” Sam mumbled. He lightly pushed on your shoulder to try and get your attention. You tore your gaze away from the car accident and to the restaurant he was pointing to that appeared to be still under construction. “Right over there.“

“Her? Like, Fate her?” You presumed. Sam nodded his head. You tried to see if you could spot anyone in the small window on the door to see if you could see anybody, but you guessed she ditched her hiding spot for another. "What did she look like?”

Sam paused for a moment, thinking about the best way to describe the woman. “Kind of like a librarian.”

:Your kind of librarian or my kind of librarian?“ Dean asked. You looked over at the older Winchester from his question, not sure if you wanted to know what he meant by that. Young and pretty. Old and looked like she owned ten cats. Knowing him, he probably meant something else that was way off. You loved the man to death, but his sense of reality was sometimes altered by all the hours of porn he watched.

“Well, she was wearing clothes, if that’s what you mean.” Sam said, having a clue what his older brother was thinking right now. Dean shrugged his shoulders and started to walk over to the restaurant. Before he could make a stupid decision, you grabbed ahold of Dean by the arm, stopping him in his tracks. “Whoa, whoa. Wait, wait, wait. We can’t just walk over there.”

“We’re not on the hit list. We have nothing to do with the boat. Let’s go talk to her.” Dean tried to suggest. You raised your brow from his idea of having a friendly chat with one of the fate sisters. He wasn’t going there with just his charming smile. Glancing around to see nobody was looking, your eyes dropped to his waist when he slowly pulled out his loaded pistol, giving you and his brother a peak. “Yeah. You know? Talk. Worth a shot, right?”

Dean began walking again, leaving you and his brother on the sidewalk, mentally debating if this was a good idea. Right before the older Winchester stepped off the concrete and to the street, you looked over at Sam and shrugged, deciding you had no other real plan. Dean was right. The three of you weren’t wrapped up in all of this Titanic business. You doubt a gun was going to make her stop killing all these people, but a friendly conversation wasn’t going to hurt to try.

You and the boys stepped inside the abandoned restaurant and shut the door behind you, and blocking out the only source of light. You came to the rescue, pulling out a flashlight from your pocket and turned it on, giving the three of you some guidance. Dean called out to greet anyone who might be inside here, but it came as no surprise when all you got was the whispered echo of his voice. All of you traveled deeper into the place, wondering what you might find, and if Fate was hiding around here. Only she was in plain sight. And you were next on her list.

Time stood still. You and the boys remained frozen in your spot, the clock stopped at exactly 10:37 A.M., but she had all the time in the world to conduct her plan. Atropos stepped out from her hiding spot, a small smirk spreading across her lips at the bait she set on all of you. Nobody would think twice about a fire caused a gas leak in a place like this. It was perfect. She wanted all of you to suffer for what you did. And what better way than to be burned alive. It’d take a few seconds for this place to fill with gas, and it’d require a spark to set the fire. Atropos was already one step ahead. When things went back to normal, her plan continued on without a hitch.

You and the boys went on with what you were previously doing as time continued to flow, remaining clueless about how the building was filling with gas, and the person you were looking for was right under your nose. You turned your flashlight to another part of the room as you continued to explore the place. You furrowed your brow in confusion when you saw the light flicker a few times, threatening to turn off, until it did just that, leaving all of you in temporary darkness. You shook it a few times, hoping that might do the trick.

“Oh, come on. Really? I just put new batteries in this thing.” You grumbled underneath your breath in frustration. You had a feeling this thing was malfunctioning. And you were starting to get creeped out just standing here in the dark. “Hey Dean, you got a lighter?”

Dean pulled out one from his back pocket and attempted to flick on the light. It normally took a few times, but it seemed this was harder than it should be. “Is it out of juice or something?” Sam wondered when his brother tried for what felt to be the fifth time but no avail.

“It shouldn’t be.” Dean said.

Sometimes the thing needed a good shake itself to get the thing working right. Dean tried once more to see if that would do the trick, but he still couldn’t get it to work. Why it wouldn’t work was because there still wasn’t enough gas in the building just yet. It took a few more attempts before you heard the successful flick of the lighter, sparking a small flame that ignited into a bigger one. Everything happened so fast, too fast for you to comprehend what was going on.

You felt a rush of heat engulf hit you straight in the face, making you realize that the orange hues around you was a fire. And then the sensation of the heat from the explosion turned into freezing cold wind. You didn’t realize you weren’t standing in the middle of the building anymore when you suddenly felt…freezing. You wrapped your arms around yourself and looked around at your surroundings. All of you were in the middle of the woods, in the middle of the night. You turned your head when you saw the person responsible for saving your lives. Your face dropped in surprise at the sight of a face you hadn’t seen in ages. It was Cas.

“Hello, Y/N. Sam, Dean.” The angel greeted the three of you when you mumbled his name in a bit of a shocked tone. You examine yourself and the boys, not a single scratch was on you.

“Where are we?” Sam asked, noticing your surroundings were a bit…peculiar. And freezing cold.

“White Russia.” Cas answered.

You let out a breath from what you weren’t expecting to hear, the air you exhaled turned into a puff of smoke. You looked around at the miles of an empty field and woods surrounding you. It seemed like the safest place to be right now. No sight of an angel and his hairbrained scheme and a goddess trying to kill you. So much for the theory you were safe from her wrath. You had a wild guess she was pissed at the three of you. For what reason, you weren’t entirely sure of.

“Are you aware of what your frat bro did?” Dean asked the angel. Cas turned his head away in disappointment at the trouble his fellow brother was causing, yet again.

“I’m aware.” Cas said. “Balthazar can be impetuous.”

"She’s pissed at him. I get that. She’s cleaning up the mess Balthazar made. But,” You spoke up your confusion at the reasoning behind the events that just unfolded seconds ago. "If fate’s going after the boat people, why’d she try to waste the three of us?”

“Well, I imagine she harbors a certain degree of rage toward you.“ Cas said. You stared at the angel with a baffled expression and asked what all of you did to get yourself nearly burnt to a crisp. "Nothing of import—just the tiny matter of averting the apocalypse and rendering her obsolete. I think maybe she’s a little irritated about that. And then you go and dangle yourselves in front of her…”

“So we’ve pissed fate off personally.” You said. You let out a quiet sigh from the trouble that always seemed to follow when you tried to do the right thing. “Great.”

"If I know her—and I do—she won’t stop until you’re dead.” Cas warned all of you.

“Awesome.” Dean muttered in frustration. “So what do we do?”

“Kill her.” Cas said. You were taken back at the advice the angel gave, you didn’t expect him to be so blunt. You repeated his answer, this time, with a bit of a smile at the ends of your lips, thinking that he was possibly joking. He wasn’t from the serious stare he gave and his question. “Do you have another suggestion?”

You raised your brow slightly in suspicion, "Can you even do that?”

“Balthazar has a weapon that will work against her.” Cas said, as if he was all set for this.

“Of course he does. Yeah. Boy, that guy’s just got it covered, doesn’t he?” Dean sarcastically asked. He didn’t like Balthazar from the first moment he met the angel. He caused trouble and never stayed around to help clean up the mess, Dean had a feeling all of you would be left in the dust on this one, too. “You need new friends, Cas.”

“I’m trying to save the ones I have, Dean.” Cas was quick to shoot a remark at the older Winchester at the situation that wasn’t ideal for all of you. But you’d have to work with people you didn’t like to get the job done. “We’ll have to draw her out.”

“All right, well, uh, she’s gunning for us.” Sam said. “She’s bound to surface again eventually.”

“We’ll make it easy for her.” Cas said. You stared at the angel with a bit of a funny expression, wondering what he meant by that. What sort of scheme was the angel planning? It was one you would never expect him to come up with. He wanted all of you to walk out in the open and put your head out on the chopping block. “I think you have an expression for it. ‘Tempting fate.’”

\+ + +

It wasn’t that you were afraid of putting yourself out in the open at a time like this, when your life was dangling on the line between life and death. You’ve made yourself bait a million times before on hunts, but, for some reason, this situation felt different. Maybe it was because the danger you were about to face wasn’t in the form of a monster, but the normal activists surroundings you. Cas told you to go on like everything was fine, yet to proceed with extra caution. Fate was about to throw a curveball your way any second. All of you stood on the sidewalk and watched a crowd of people around you carry on their day like all was well.

“Okay, so, we’re just gonna meet our fate at any time, right?” Dean asked, you nodded your head.

“Yeah. Just walk.” Sam told the both of you. You let out a quiet breath and prepared for what you were up against. Which could be about a million different things. “Act natural.”

You screwed over fate once before and you’d do it again if you had to. But that meant moving. You and the boys hesitantly began making your way down the sidewalk to get things started, all while cautiously eyeing your surroundings, waiting for something to jump out and try to kill you. And it didn’t last long for fate to put under your first test. You stopped dead in your tracks and lurched backwards at the sight of a skateboarder riding down the railing of the staircase you were about to pass. You felt yourself stop breathing for a split second, expecting for him to come crashing into you. Luckily enough, the man effortlessly stuck his landing and went on his way.

“Okay.” You breathed out. Your lips stretched into a faint smile as you looked over at the boys. “Not so bad. Let’s keep going.”

The first attempt was just an accident, and was a walk in the park compared to what was ahead for the three of you. Danger seemed to be all around you today. Sam managed to dodge a cyclist who passed him, barely crashing into him, Dean flinched at the sight of two large dogs barking in his direction, their own struggling to keep them under control before ushering them on the way. You thought you were three for three after passing yet another possible worst case scenario without fail. You weren’t feeling any less relaxed.

Fate was either too stupid for her own good, or she was just warming up. You looked straight ahead before you could do something stupid like crack your head open after you tripped over your own two feet. That didn’t seem so bad when you looked straight ahead. What you saw made your stomach drop and do a few flips.

“Oh you gotta be kidding me.” Dean mumbled.

You and the boys stopped walking when you spotted street performers with a crowd of people holding up the sidewalk. There was no way to go around, and you weren’t taking the chance of walking into the busy streets. It was just a couple of people juggling hatches and swords. Who the hell does that? You inhaled a deep breath, probably the last one you’d ever be able to do.

“All right, just—just keep walking.” Sam told you and his brother, trying to get all of you to somehow start moving again before something bad could happen to all you. You quietly scoffed and looked at the younger Winchester, Sam shrugged as he looked a bit hesitant to continue on. But you had to.

“Sam, they’re juggling knives.” Dean hissed. He gestured an arm to the jugglers, as if the man couldn’t see it for himself. “And hatchets.”

“Yeah, I know.” Sam mumbled. It seemed the both of them spoke too soon if they thought this was the worst thing fate could dish out to you. You let out a frustrated sigh when the jugglers decided to switch things up with lit torches. “Can’t avoid fate.”

You let out a breath from what you were up against, “Here goes nothing.”

You gathered all the courage you had buried deep down inside of you and decided to be the one to march forward. If fate wanted to have her fun, so be it. But you weren’t going to let her have the last laugh when she thought you didn’t go down without a fight. And she sure as hell wasn’t going to make you feel intimidated by a little fire.

The jugglers sure knew what they were doing. You managed to walk through their little street act without getting a single burn on your body. As you stood on the other side of the sidewalk, safe, you looked back to see the boys weren’t feeling as adventurous. They were still on the other side, still hesitant about doing this. It took a few more moments of mental preparation before Dean got a bit brave, managing to walk through without incident. Even if he had to do it with his eyes shut. Sam wasn’t as graceful. He tried to run through it, all though he found himself dodging a few torches that were coming his way, all before bolting out like a bat out of hell. If the circumstances weren’t so tense, you might have laughed.

You and the boys managed to get out of another situation alive, but you still weren’t in the clear. All of you headed down the sidewalk with almost no other trace of danger. But it lurked on every street corner. As you turned down another street, you spotted a construction worker with a nail gun stapling in some things into place. it must have got jammed. The idiot must have no depth perception when he pointed the thing straight at you and tried a few times to pull the trigger. Lucky for you, he managed to get the thing to work without landing a nail in your head. Before he got back to work, you gave him a dirty look when he made eye contact with you.

“Why don’t you point that thing somewhere else? You could kill someone.” You said. He gave you an apologetic smile at his mistake before turning back to his work. You rolled your eyes and continued on walking. “Idiot.”

“All right.” Sam spoke up when all of you were a good distance away from the guy and his staple gun. So far all of you could have been killed at least a half dozen other times, but here you were, without a scratch on your body. It was a bit unnerving from what fate was doing, making you paranoid for her next big trick that would be the nail in the coffin. “I don’t get it.”

“I don’t either.” Dean mumbled. “Who do you gotta kill to get killed around here?”

“Maybe Cas was wrong.” You said, taking a wild guess of the angel’s lack in his great plan.

“Look out!”

The funny thing about accidents, you’re not supposed to see them coming. Because that’d give you a chance to run and land safely on your feet. It’s when you least expect it when things turn fatal. When you grow a little too comfortable in your surroundings and put your guard down Fate was very good at her job. She had fun putting you and the boys through a ring of tests. Each of them were too easy for a hunter not to fail. Because you depended on your quick reflexes and the three of you were good about running away from danger. But none of you would expect to look up. And when you did, it was too late.

All of you stood in the middle of the sidewalk and stared straight up ahead at the early afternoon blue sky, only an an air conditioner was seconds away from crushing you flat. Fate would have gotten her way…only if the three of you didn’t have a friend who was always pulling you out of trouble. But this time, Cas was the one to blame for this. Maybe this wasn’t all started because of a movie. Maybe it wasn’t because of a song. Maybe it was about something else…Something that Cas would never have. Because the risk wasn’t worth what he’d gain. And also lose.

\+ + +

You didn’t realize you were passed out in the backseat of the Impala, your head pressed against the window and your mouth parted slightly open, exhaling quiet snores while in a deep slumber. All you remembered after being kicked out of Bobby’s house was getting out before he turned violent. The death of Rufus was taking so much out on him, but Bobby hid his grief behind research and alcohol. His odd behavior caused you and the boys to be stressed, an endless cycle that didn’t benefit anyone. All of you were tired and overwhelmed. Nobody got any sleep over the past week. You didn’t expect all of you would end up passing out in Bobby’s garage. But it seemed that was the case when you felt someone’s hand on your shoulder, jerking you out of a dream you were having.

You nearly jumped out of your skin when you felt someone place their hand on your shoulder to try and wake you up. The dream you were having was a weird one. You were seconds away from being crushed to death by an air conditioner unit that got loose, but before you could meet your fate, you were brought back into reality. You frantically looked around, wondering for a split second if you were dead or not. When you realized Sam and Dean were in the front seat and the Impala was still parked in the garage, you slowly calmed down and sank back down into the cushioned seat. You noticed the radio was on, but what was playing wasn’t classic rock.

“Are…Are you listening to Celine Dion?” You asked, pointing straight ahead to the radio you vaguely remembered him turning on and to a station that didn’t play pop 90s tunes. The man didn’t seem to realize that it was on. He quickly turned back around in his seat. Your lips stretched into a smile when you realized the song, My Heart Will Go On was playing. “Oh. I love this song.

Dean didn’t seem to like it much as you did. He turned off the radio as you slowly moved your aching muscles forward in your seat, deciding to be the one to wake up Sam. You lightly pushed his shoulder, forcing the man out of a deep slumber, joining you and his brother in the process of stretching your body from the long nap you had. You let out a yawn as you opened up the backseat door and stepped out. Dean still seemed groggy with sleep. He managed to push himself up to his feet before leaning himself against the roof of the Impala to rest his head on his crossed arms. You lifted your hands above your head to stretch your body.

“Dude, what time is it?” Sam asked. Dean looked down at his watch to see a few hours passed while all of you took your unexpected nap. You let out yet another yawn as you thought back to the dream you had and how strange it was. It seemed you weren’t the only one with a wild imagination. “I just had the weirdest dream.”

“Twenty bucks says mine was weirder.” Dean said with a quiet chuckle. “I am not kidding.”

“No, no, no. I’m not kidding either. I-I mean, it was…“ Sam trailed off for a second as he thought about his dreams before being woken up by you. It was the type of dream that left him scratching his head in confusion as to where his brain managed to come up with such a random concept. "Just bizarre.”

“Mine had the actual Titanic in it.” You said, thinking yours was going to top theirs. Your lips stretched into a smile as you let out a quiet laugh at the concept, only you suddenly felt yourself grow subconscious when Sam stared at you from the other side with an uneasy look. Suddenly you wiped the corners of your mouth, thinking you must have accidentally drooled while you were asleep. “What? Is there something on my face?”

“D-did it, uh…” Sam began to slowly ask you if you had a similarity from the dream he had. “Not sink, because Balthazar—”

“—had a hate on for Billy Zane?” Dean finished his brother’s question when he realized what he was trying to say. You found yourself staring at both of the Winchester brothers with an uneasy look. You slowly nodded your head to answer Sam. “Why are you two having my dreams?”

“Wasn’t a dream.” Castiel’s voice

“Wait, what?” You looked over at the angel, disbelief in your voice at what you heard. You shut the backseat door and began walking over to him to figure out what he meant by that. “You’re saying this actually happened?That the whole…Whatever–that was real?”

Cas nodded his head, “Yes.”

“Wait. So,” Sam said. “What happened?”

“Well, I insisted he go back in time and correct what he’d done.” Cas explained to all of you about the events that unfolded. You stared at the angel with a surprised expression and asked him why. “It was the only way to be sure you were safe.”

“Glad you got our back. But…” You fell quiet for a second as you replayed the memories back in your head. If what you dreamed about was real, or what was the potential future, it meant fate got her way. “I’m guessing you had to kill fifty-thousand people to do that.”

“No, I didn’t. They were never born. That’s far different from being killed, wouldn’t you say?” Cas posed a question that struck you silent. You guessed he was right on that point. The events of all of this was just a dream at the end of all of this. What might be if things were different. You did realize that things of the titanic not sinking meant things were different. People you cared about were alive. You didn’t know why you asked, but you did. But Ellen and Jo’s fate remained the same. “I’m sorry.”

“Hold on. Uh…So, if you guys went and changed everything back, then that whole timeline or whatever, it just got erased?” Dean quietly chuckled out his question, finding all of this situation a little too confusing to keep up with. Cas shrugged, answering that it was more or less. Yes. All of it was the same, nothing really changed. It all remained as an idea of what might be. “Well, then, how come the three of us remember it?”

“Because I wanted you to remember it.” Cas said. You raised your brow slightly from his excuse and promptly asked him why he would do such a thing. “I wanted you to know who Fate really is. She’s cruel and capricious.”

“I’d go so far as ‘bitch.’” Dean offered another suggestion to the angel.

“Well, yeah. You’re the ones who taught me that you can make your own destiny. You don’t have to be ruled by fate. You can choose freedom. I still believe that that’s something worth fighting for.” Cas said. His words made a small spread at the end of your lips. The angel hadn’t been around a lot over the past year since you came back from hell. But the both of you were dealing with things that required your attention. Push come to shove, Cas was always there for you. Because that’s what friends do for one another. “I just wanted you to understand that.”

“That’s really sweet, Cas. But I gotta ask, did all of this really happen because Balthazar hated one movie? That’s a little extreme.” You asked him as you raised your brow slightly. Cas answered you that it was. However you found it a bit strange his gaze moved away from you. He stared down at the ground and his feet. “Really? I quite enjoyed it. I saw it three times when it came out.”

“Yeah. Titanic didn’t suck that bad.” Dean agreed. You looked at him with a bit of an amused expression at what he admitted. The movie came out a little after your mom passed. You may or may not had dragged Dean along for a bit of friend bonding time. Sam, however, stared at his brother. Dean’s answer made you roll your eyes. “Winslet’s rack.”

“God, you’re such a pervert.” You said. Dean gave you a smirk at the insult, you shook your head and looked forward, expecting to see Cas still standing there, but he was gone. “Wouldn’t hurt for him to say goodbye every once in a while.”

You and the boys had a feeling the hunt you were supposed to be going on wasn’t really going to lead to anything. You headed back into the house, expecting Bobby to be at his desk in the library with his nose buried in a book and a drink of whiskey in his hands. All though, to your happiness, the man was lying on the couch, passed out cold. You crossed your arms over your chest and let out a breath, content settling into the mood at the sight of things how they were. While you had seen things of what might have been, and you missed Ellen and Jo with all your heart, you couldn’t bare the thought of something happening to Bobby. The man was the only you had left.

“I guess things are back to normal, huh?” Sam wondered. You nodded your head. Dean quiet let out a scoff. Normal—What a meaningless word to all of you. It just meant the two people you cared about were still dead. “Poor bastard. Doesn’t even know how good he had it.”

“Yeah, well, what he doesn’t know won’t hurt him.” Dean said. “I say we keep our mouths shut.”

“Yeah. I’m with you.” Sam agreed. “Should we wake him?”

“Nah.” You said, shaking your head. “That’s probably the best he’s felt all week.”

You quietly walked over to the couch where Bobby was sleeping and fetched off a blanket lying across top. Without disturbing him, you laid it across the sleeping man and turned off the lamp. You stepped back and smiled slightly. Sure, this reality might bite, you might have lost people and couldn’t change it much as you wanted. But it was what it was. Fate was a bit of a bitch, but you sometimes had to believe she was good for something. If your life didn’t end up the way it did, you would never have the family you were given. Even if it might not be at the time you hoped for.

\+ + +

You and the boys decided to stick close around while Bobby got a few days to himself. It wouldn’t hurt to stop hovering over the man and give him some time to breathe and grieve in his own privacy. He lost a hunting buddy, probably the only good friend he ever had since his entire life turned upside down Rufus was the one who helped him through thick and thin. While they fought like cats and dogs, you knew, deep down, the both of them cared for each other. Eve was still out there along with the way of how to stop her. But it’d have to wait for another day.

The boys decided to go out for hours to have some dinner and drink now that you had some free time on your hands. You opted for the chance to relax on your own terms. Everybody dealt with emotions differently. You chose to sit in a rented motel for the night with your laptop playing the exact movie that almost ruined your life. You always loved the movie Titanic. And it always made you bawl like a big baby. There was no better tragic love story than Rose and Jack. And it had been a long time since you cried. So, you decided to enjoy the movie.

You may have seen the movie almost a handful of times but it never lost its magic touch to invest you back into the plot. You spent the next few hours curled up in bed with your earphones in and enjoying the movie until the very bitter end. You knew how it was going to go, you knew it wasn’t going to be the happy ending like you thought it was going to be when you first saw it in the theatre. Seeing poor Rose floating on the raft holding Jack’s hand made tears welled up in your eyes as you felt a few of them trickle down your cheeks. You were so caught up in the plot of the movie, you didn’t realize you weren’t alone anymore before it was too late and you were found in the act.

You felt one of the earbuds being lightly taken out of your ear, causing your attention to shift away from the movie when you heard someone speak your name. You looked up from the laptop screen to see Dean standing over you with a face full of concern. He had come back from dinner just a second ago to see you in a way that made him slightly panic. Only when he looked away from your tear stained cheeks and to your laptop screen, all sympathy vanished. When he looked down at you, you found him staring at you with a look of disbelief as he arched his brow. You shrugged off his judgement as you wiped away the tears.

“What?” It’s a good movie.” You defended yourself against his judgement. Dean chuckled as he sat down on the bed from what you said next. “And I’m not talking about Kate Winslet’s boobs.”

“Yeah. I’ll give it some credit. There was something else going for it that I always liked about it.” Dean said. You hummed quietly as you took your normal position of resting yourself into the crook of his arm and resting your head against his shoulder. Dean grabbed your laptop and took it upon himself to lose your spot in the movie. You were about to complain that you weren’t done watching it. But when he got to the spot he wanted, you found the words stopping at the tip of your tongue. “I don’t know why.”

You shook your head as you tried your hardest not to laugh. You weren’t the least surprised to see that Dean pulled up the scene where Rose and Jack got intimate, the hand that came up to slam itself against the foggy window to add more to the scene. “You know you’re a perv, right?”

“Yeah.” Dean agreed with you on that point. “But I’m your perv. And nothing’s gonna change that.”


	14. Frontierland

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The reader's mentioned outfit: https://78.media.tumblr.com/696f96b3f823d138a4256deb4af158f1/tumblr_inline_p8fujnn45H1ssng1q_250.jpg

Josh Carver was an unconventional best friend in every sense of the word. You had known him since you were fourteen but lost contact with him when he moved away a few years later to try and pursue a college education. Of course that didn’t last very long. Almost a decade passed before Josh was reunited you with under circumstances that resulted in him being possessed by a demon and your house wrecked after a break-in. Now the only conversations you had were mostly over the phone. And the only face to face contact you had since reuniting again was after you died and came back to life—which was three times now. 

You expected every time you picked up the phone to have a conversation with Josh he would finally tell you to go screw yourself and never talk to him again after the trouble you caused him. You turned his life upside down for the worst, and you would respect his wishes. But he never did that. He was always so happy to hear from you and willing to help with whatever sort of trouble you got into. When you asked him for some help dealing with the Mother of All and her freaks, along with a few private things, he jumped on the opportunity to be apart of the action.

You were overjoyed to be able to see Josh again in person on better circumstances. He was the exact person you needed now that all the Campbells were gone. Josh was book smart and had a knack for research. But there was a problem with your plan. You still needed to convince the boys to go along with your idea to have the man around. For whatever reason, they always had a dislike for Josh. You never understood. Luckily with some subtle threats and favors you were able to get them to begrudgingly agree.

You told Josh to meet you at Bobby’s place to get started, worrying about the small details like where he’d sleep and other arrangements later on. You just wanted him to get here in one piece. It had been so long since you’d seen him in person. And this as the first time he was going to be working with all of you. You hoped the boys wouldn’t scare him off the moment he stepped into the door. While Sam had grown quiet on the matter, Dean was still going strong of expressing his emotions on the matter when the day of Josh’s arrival came.

“I still don’t like this guy.” Dean, for what felt to be the tenth time this morning, made his opinion clear on the matter. You were occupying Bobby’s desk with a book opened and your second cup of coffee this morning slowly being nursed. You glanced up for a moment to acknowledge what your boyfriend said with an annoyed glare. “He gives me the creeps.”

“What? Josh is harmless.” You defended your old childhood best friend from the judgement of your significant other. You gave him an eye roll at his dramatic behavior as you turned the page to the next one so you could continue reading a book Bobby had yet to get to after hoarding a few more books of lore. “The last time you seen him you almost kicked his ass for no reason.”

"No reason? He threatened me first. Not to mention the last time we really saw him he thought you were his fiancée” Dean defended himself against you. You were, yet again, interrupted from your reading as Dean continued on this much useless conversation that was leading the both of you nowhere at this point. You raised your brow slightly from what Dean implied, calling him out on the little white lie he pulled and how he was bringing up a scenario that happened in another universe different from your own. “Whatever. I still wanna punch him in the face. He’s a dick.”

“What is your probl—” You were about to ask him what was getting him so riled up, but then it hit you. You’ve seen this type of behavior from him before not too long ago. The way he was acting all tough, bringing up something that happened a few years ago to the strange universe mix up. You rested your arms on the desk and narrowed your eyes on the man as your lips stretched into a smirk, suddenly realizing what it was. “Oh my God. You’re jealous.”

“What?” Dean scoffed at what you were trying to imply by his behavior before letting out a slight chuckle. He tried to act normal by crossing his arms over his chest and calmed his expression into more of a calm one. You weren’t the least bit fooled by it. “I’ve got nothing to be jealous of.”

“Sure there isn’t. What’s there to be jealous of? Not the fact that he’s only been my best friend before I met you. And in another universe him and I are madly in love while you and I didn’t work out.” You casually brought up the conversation again about the messy situation you and the boys were thrown into against your will. Dean’s expression dropped slightly, you broke out into a smile at how he looked. “Oh my God. You’re so gullible.”

Dean crossed his arms over his chest and looked away from the joke you pulled and pretended to be calm. He always promised you that he’d never be the possessive, jealous man who would get angry if another guy dare so looked in your direction. It wasn’t in his nature. Whenever you weren’t working a case and enjoying some time out in public, Dean might do something like inch himself closer to you or wrap an arm around your waist if he saw a guy try to make a move on you. It was the subtle things that Dean did you enjoyed. He let the world knew that you were his, and he was yours.

You always found jealousy to be a turn off. Yet seeing Dean like this, squirming with possible thoughts of what might happen when Josh got here, it sort of felt….good. It was like sweet revenge for all those years he would shamelessly flirt with other women right in front of your face. You knew it was a bit childish to play slightly into the idea you had any sort of feeling for Josh. He was a close friend from another life before you devoted yourself to hunting who happened to know everything about the supernatural, too. It was a strange friendship you had, but it worked. He was like what you were for the boys. A crutch to a lean on when things got tough.

You shut the book you were previously reading and pushed yourself up to your feet when you heard knocking on the front door. You gave Dean a smile and patted him on the chest lightly to reassure him that everything was going to be fine before rushing to the door before Bobby or Sam could answer it. Before you did, you smoothed out your clothes and fixed your hair to make sure you looked somewhat presentable for a friend you hadn’t seen in months. You inhaled a breath before opening up the door. Josh stood on the porch with his hands causally in his jean pockets as he looked around the place, taking in all the glory of the place. When he turned his attention forward, you welcomed him with a grin.

“Well, well, well.” You mumbled from who you saw standing right in front of you. You crossed your arms over your chest and stepped back to take a good look at your friend you hadn’t seen in months. “Look what the cat dragged in.”

“You didn’t happen to drop dead while I was gone, did you? Am I talking to your ghost or something? ‘Cause I feel like the only time i get to see you in person is when you died.“ Josh replied back to your sarcastic remark. Dean stood in the doorway of the library where you couldn’t see him, even though your back was to him. He mocked your laugh you made at the stupid joke Josh made that wasn’t the least bit funny. “Damn, Y/N. It’s so good to see you.”

“Come in, come in.” You ushered the man inside as you opened the door wider and stepped out of the way so Josh could be formally introduce to everyone. You nervously swallowed when you heard the sound of multiple footsteps approaching. Shutting the door, you noticed it was the brothers who were here to greet your guest. “Where’s Bobby?”

“He’s getting a few things before we hit the road.” Dean said. You nodded your head and gave the boys a quick glance when Josh greeted the two men with a friendly smile. The brothers could see the threatening glare subtly hidden in your calm expression if they tried to pull anything stupid. Dean decided to be the bigger person here like you wanted him to be. He outstretched his hand and offered it to Josh for him to shake. "Hey, man. Been a long time.”

Yeah. Too long.“ Josh said. He shook hands with the older Winchester before nodding greeting the same way to Sam when he greeted the man with another hello and a firm handshake. You had a feeling things were going well. But you weren’t holding your breath that things would last this long. "Glad I could be apart of this whole situation. I’ve been doing a lot of research.”

“You sure you really want to do this?” Sam’s question made your attention avert to him. You expression dropped slightly as you began to stare at him with an angry glare from what you think he was trying to do. The younger Winchester only made a joke as he cracked a smile to keep things civil. "There’s a lot of book research involved. Gets kind of tedious.”

“Don’t worry, man.” Josh said. “I’ve been waiting to get in on the action for a long time.”

You let out a sigh of relief from how smooth things seemed to be going. So far the brothers had welcomed Josh with no problem and carried on a civil conversation. Footsteps from the kitchen made you realize there was one person for Josh to meet. You pushed the man slightly forward to greet someone Josh was the most nervous of all to meet after everything you told him about. “Bobby, I’d like you to meet someone…”

\+ + +

Over the past few months the four of you, including Josh, had been tirelessly trying to find a way to take down Eve for good. All of you spent countless hours collecting all sorts of books and sat in front of your laptop scouring the internet for some kind of hint to find what her weakness was. But you kept coming up blank. You needed to find something before you had a face to face with the thing. While you were having trouble doing so, you remembered that you weren’t the only one who knew about the Mother of All and wanted to see her dead.

Samuel Campbell had been tracking down Eve and her little monsters with what was left of his family even after his boss, Crowley was killed off. He kept a neat and organized office that you were rarely allowed to go into without him supervising you. There was one time Samuel trusted you enough to let you in on a secretive spot when you first started hunting with him and told to never go back down there again. Yet here you stood in the middle of his office with the boys, Bobby and Josh. The entire Campbell residence had been abandoned for a few months now. It was the only place you could think of to find a possible lead on how to stop Eve.

The only problem was trying to remember where it was. You didn’t spend the last several hours stuck in the Impala with the brothers in the front seats with you and Josh in the back, making awkward small talk for all of this to come down to nothing.

“Look it’s here somewhere.” You mumbled in frustration. You examined the wooden floors with a close eye, trying to find some kind of handle that Samuel had tried to hide in plain sight. All you could remember about Samuel’s hiding spot was that it was underground, he had a special way of getting in. He tried to hide it from you, but you saw. There were no rugs and tables around the place to make it easily hidden. Except for his desk. You walked forward and tried to move the heavy object by yourself, but you failed miserably. “Dammit. Sam, Josh. Move this thing.”

You stepped out of the way for the two tallest men to move the desk so you could get a closer look around at the floor when nothing caught your eye. The two men moved the desk with ease so you could continue your search. What you were expecting to find was some sort of secret latch hidden underneath the desk. Maybe it was too obvious. Maybe you were looking at this all wrong when you noticed a loose screw ever so slightly popping out of place.

You crouched down on the ground when a suspicious hunch grew at what you saw. There was nothing like this on any other part of the floor. It took a few tries before you pulled out the screw from the spot it was resting in. You expected the screw to come popping out, but it remained safely fastened into the wood, making you realize this was the handle you were looking for. You used all your strength to open up the opening of the trapdoor that lead to the underground layer Samuel tried so hard to hide from you. Your lips stretched into a smirk of victory. If only that old bag of bones could see you know.

Dean turned on the flashlight and took a step to inspect what might be down there before any of you got the idea of going exploring down there. What you saw was a lot of dust and cobwebs along with a ladder leading down. “Well, I’ll be damned.” Bobby mumbled, impressed at what he saw, and curious for what was down there waiting to be explored.

You did the honors of being the first one to go down into the underground layer with everyone else following behind one by one. You stumbled a bit in the dark before finding what felt to be a lightswitch and turned it on. Slowly the lights began to kick on as the boys came down first along with Bobby and then Josh. “Welcome to the Campbell family library.” You gestured an arm around at the decent sized space that was lined with numerous books and a college of all sorts of information. “Maybe we’ll be lucky and find something useful.”

Josh was an awe at what he saw, from the books to the old photographs on the walls of what you were presuming to be Campbell relatives from decades before. Dean circled around the place and examined what he saw. “Samuel collected all of this stuff, huh?” He asked. You nodded your head, seeming to think that’s what he did. “Wow. Well, what are we looking for?”

“Well, anything that’ll put a run in Octomom’s stockings.” Bobby said. You placed your hands on your hips and looked around the room to see the entire place was covered in stock piles of books and leather bound journals. All of you were going to be here for a while. “Pick a row.”

You looked over at Josh to see how he was doing. The man swallowed slightly as he suddenly felt overwhelmed at the vast amount of knowledge surrounding him. He decided to get to work on one part of the room while the boys each took a spot. Bobby turned on a few more lights to give all of you some better lighting. You skimmed through at least a few dozen books but only ended up pulling a few books that seemed what you might be looking for. Bobby got lucky when he found a book that was exactly what he needed. Soon enough after going through almost all of the books here, the five of you headed to the table to do the hardest part of all; research.

Samuel kept a good collection of books that mentioned Purgatory, but nothing mentioned about Eve herself. You looked up every once in a while to see that Josh was focused on reading the books he pulled off the shelf as the boys quietly did their own research. Everything seemed to be going well like you hoped. You returned your attention back to the book you were reading and turned the fragile page to continue.

“Either of you jokers ever heard of anything about a phoenix?” Bobby’s question made all four of you look up from your books. You furrowed your brow slightly from what he was asking.

“River, Joaquin or the giant flaming bird?” Dean asked, giving a few possible examples.

“It says here that the ashes of a phoenix can burn the Mother.” Bobby read off from the book, making you wonder if it was the same mother you were trying to stop.

“That’s great.” You said, thinking this was the exact leading you spent over the past few hours looking for in all of these books. “Where do we get one?”

Bobby shrugged his shoulders, “You got me. I thought it as a myth,”

“They never make it easy for us, do they?” You muttered underneath your breath. You let out a quiet sigh as you rubbed your eyes in slight frustration when you were forced to take a detour in all of this. “Great. Well, let’s see if we can find something about a phoenix.”

More research meant more books were needed to be pulled off the shelf. You and Josh worked on gathering different ones from the shelves while Sam and Bobby went through the ones you had on the table. Dean worked on going through some leather bound journals after he stumbled across quite a few of them. While you went through your fifth book, Dean stood with the same journal he had in his hands as he read it underneath a small lamp. A small smile was on his lips as he continued on reading adventures that were intriguing for the man. The more he read, the more he realized he might have found the jackpot.

“Guys. Guys, guys, guys, check this out.” Dean excitedly said. He came walking over to the table and sat himself back down to show you the journal he had been reading. You looked up to see there was a smile on his face. “‘’March 5th, 1861. Sunrise, Wyoming. Gun killed a phoenix today. Left a pile of smoldering ash.’”

“Really?” Sam asked, intrigued at what he heard. “Whose gun?”

Dean’s smirk grew as he answered his brother, “Colt’s.”

“Colt?” You wondered as you raised your brow in curiosity if he meant what you were thinking. “Colt, like—”

“Like the Colt, Y/N. From…” Dean shut the journal to show off the front leather cover with what appeared to be a devil’s trap etched into it. He broke out into a grin when he flipped to the very first page for you to read the famous name of a man who had wrote his name into over a hundred and fifty years ago. “Samuel Campbell’s journal.”

“What?” Sam asked, breaking out into a grin. He pointed at the journal with a bit of disbelief at what he was staring at. “That’s his?”

“Wait, wait.” Josh looked over at you, confused at who this Samuel was. While the boys argued over who could see the journal like a bunch of five year olds, Josh asked you a few questions to try and get caught up to speed. “Who’s Samuel Colt?”

“Samuel Colt is a man who created this gun that could kill about any monster. Demon, vampire, whatever. Except, in our experience, not the devil. Learned that the hard way.” You explained to him, cracking a slight smile at the end of your sentence. Josh raised his brow, obviously wanting to know more about what you meant about the devil. You shook your head slightly, giving him a look that you’d tell him later. You still needed to figure out this whole other situation. “What else did Samuel say about the phoenix? What does it look like? Hell, does it have feathers?”

“Just says ‘phoenix.’” Dean said, not being able to provide more information than that.

“Did he say where he tracked it?” Bobby asked, the older Winchester shook his head.

“All right. I guess we gotta find one of our own.” Sam said. “Whatever it is.”

Dean stared at the journal for a moment or so until a plan hatched itself in his head. He sat up straight in his seat and placed the journal down on the table. “I know where we can find one.” He said. You gave him a curious look, wondering what that brain of his was thinking. “March 5th, 1861. Sunrise Wyoming. We’ll Star Trek IV this bitch.”

Your expression slowly changed as your brow furrowed slightly, now feeling slightly confused at his reference you didn’t quite get. You and Sam exchanged a look, the both of you lost as Bobby admitted, "I only watched Deep Space Nine.”

“Star Trek IV, save the whales. Right? Is that even possible?” Josh asked the older Winchester, curious if the man was making a reference to a movie he had watched. When Dean nodded his head, Josh broke out into a grin at what he was thinking. You stared at your friend with a baffled look, causing him to clear his throat, feeling slightly awkward at his nerdiness that was peeking through. “My dad got me hooked on the show and movies when I was nine. We would go to a Star Trek convention every year until he died.”

“Wait, what’s possible?” You asked the two men. “What the hell are you two talking about?”

“Finally. Someone who gets a good reference. It’s like I don’t even know you guys anymore.” Dean gestured a hand to Josh before giving the rest of you a disappointed glare. You were happy to see the two of them were getting along with their eighties movies, but you rolled your eyes when he stalled on telling all of you his genius plan. “We hop back in time, join up with Samuel Colt, hunt the phoenix and then we haul the ashes back home with us.” 

“Time travel?” Bobby asked. Dean broke out into another smile as he nodded his head. “That’s a reasonable plan?”

“We got a guy who can swing it.” Dean said. You began to think his idea wasn’t so bad after all. He shut the journal and pushed himself up to his feet, dragging the chair across the floor. Dean thought for a moment about the right way to recite a prayer so your friend could get down here to help all of you. “Castiel…the, uh, date of the world is in the balance…so come on down here.” You looked around the room to see where the angel might have appeared out from. But he was nowhere to be seen. “Come on, Cas. I Dream of Jeannie your ass down here, pronto. Please.”

A few seconds later you heard the familiar sound you had associated with angels and their fun act of popping out of thin air. You were expecting to be greeted with the familiar trench coat and suit Cas had worn over the past three years. Instead a woman stood with a smile. Dean stupidly mumbled Jeanie, the angel corrected him with her real name.

“Rachel.” She introduced herself to all of you. “I understand you needed some assistance. How can I help you?”

“Well, uh, we kind of need to talk to the big kahuna.” Dean told the angel.

“I’m here on Castiel’s behalf.” Rachel said. Sam found the excuse a little bit strange. He asked where your fellow angel friend was. “Busy.”

“Busy?” Dean repeated what the angel said, she nodded her head. “Well, we’ve got a line on the Mother of freaking everything, so—“

“I’m sure your issue is very important, but Castiel is currently commanding in army, so—“ Rachel cut off the older Winchester, feeding him an excuse you weren’t buying when you pushed yourself up to your feet to butt yourself into the conversation.

“So we get stuck with Miss Moneypenny.” You said, guesting an arm to the angel that stood behind you as you broke out into a smile. Josh nervously chuckled, afraid of what the right kind of response was. You told him all about angels, but this was the first time meeting you.

“So you need to learn your place.” Rachel snuck a command in. Your smile slowly faded as your expression changed. You turned around in your spot to give the woman an amused, almost curious expression at what she just let slip out her mouth.

“Excuse me? What did you just say to me?” You asked the angel. Your lips stretched into a smirk as you stared at her with an expression that showed you weren’t the least bit afraid of her. “Let’s get one thing straight here, sister. You don’t ever talk to me like that. Because I don’t know who the hell you think you are—“

“I’m his friend.” Rachel stated. You crossed your arms over your chest and stared at her. You made it quite clear that you were friends with the other angel, too. “No, I don’t think you are. I think you call him when you need something. We’re fighting a war.”

“Okay,” Sam said in a calm tone. “We get that.”

“Clearly you don’t, or you wouldn’t call him every time you stub your toe you pretty, entitled little piece of—” Rachel thought it would be a smart idea to let her true feelings show. She was letting it all out as she raised her voice as she continued speaking. You crossed your arms tighter over your chest as you stared at the angel, waiting for the moment to tell her how it really was. Before she could say something she would regret, a familiar voice cut her off.

“Rachel.” Cas stood across from his supposed friend. “That’s enough.”

The woman composed herself, trying to make it appear that she wasn’t having an embarrassing fight with a couple of humans that he called his friends, too. “I told you I’d take care of this.”

“It’s all right, you can go.” Cas said. Rachel was surprised to hear the angel was staying to hear out whatever sort of ridiculous scheme you were about to waste his time with where there were more important matters at stake. “I’ll come when I can.”

Rachel respected her friend’s change of plans, she was gone in the blink of an eye. You let out a sigh of relief to know that she was far away from this place. “Wow.” Dean said, a bit taken back at the first impression the woman made on all of you. “Friend of yours?”

“Yes. She’s, uh, my lieutenant. She’s committed to the cause.” Cas said. He took a step forward and looked around the table to see all the familiar faces he was expecting, except one that he had never seen before. He stared at Josh with a bit of a curious expression. “Who is this?”

“Oh. Uh, right. Josh, there’s someone else I want you to meet.” You said, looking over at your other friend. Josh suddenly looked like a deer in headlights when he realized he was about to meet the one and only Castiel you spoke so much about, from the high and lows. You smiled slightly at his priceless face. You guestred for him to get up to his feet, the man did so in the matter of seconds. “Josh, I’d like you to meet possibly the only friendly angel—Castiel. We just call him Cas. It’s easier.”

“Castiel. It’s such an honor to meet you.” Josh said. He wasn’t sure what to do, being that he was finally able to meet the angel you had talked so much about. He nervously put out his hand in front of him for the angel to shake, Cas stared at him. Josh nervously chuckled and put his hand back to his side, wondering if he might have done something wrong. “Right. Uh…”

“Don’t worry. He’s awkward about human…things.” You explained the best you could about Cas’ strange behavior to your friend. You turned your attention back to the angel and to the reason why you called him down here in the first place. “Now, how do you feel about the 1860s?”

\+ + +

The next morning all of you were back in Bobby’s house after finding a possible lead to take down Eve. You settled Josh into a nearby motel for the remainder of his stay, however long that might be until you got this situation settled down. Josh had taken it upon himself, after nervously asking Bobby, took go nuts over the collection books the older hunter had collected over the years that were just gathering dust instead of being used.

While Josh stuck with lore, you and Sam helped Bobby get the weapons you might need like guns and knifes. You occupied yourself by loading up your gun with iron rounds along with one chamber full of silver. You didn’t know what was a phoenix’s weakness, and if you happened to see one without the colt, you rather be safe than dead.

“Where the hell’s Dean?” Bobby asked. You glanced up for a moment from what you were doing to see that the older Winchester had been out for a while, at least over an hour now.

“Supply run, he said.” Sam mentioned what his brother’s excuse was. “I don’t know.”

“Um, about your plan…” Cas spoke up the first time this morning since he got here. You told him about Dean’s great idea about jumping back a hundred and fifty years to see a phoenix get killed with the very gun you were hunting for just a few years ago. It seemed there was going to be a bit of a complication in Dean’s genius idea. “You’ll only have twenty-four hours.”

“What?” Sam asked in a surprised tone. He pushed himself up to his feet and walked over to the angel to hear the angel’s reasoning. “Why?”

“Well, the answer to your question can best be expressed as series of partial differential equations.” Cas said. All of you were smart to handle a complicated explanation, but you told the angel to break it down so even Josh could understand why you would have such limited time. “The further back I send you, the harder it becomes to retrieve you. Twenty-four hours is all I can risk. If I don’t pull you home within that time, you’ll be lost to me.”

“Well, then we better get you a watch.” Dean’s voice came out nowhere. You leaned over ever so slightly to see that he was back from his supply run. You were a bit surprised to see he was carrying three rather large paper bags. You gestured a finger to the bags, asking what all this was about. “We are going native. Gotta blend in.” 

You could feel your face drop slightly when Dean put one of the bags he was holding down to the ground and held out the other two for you and his brother to take. You looked down at the bag logo, reading that it was from a place called Wally’s Western World with a cowboy and a lasso. You grimaced slightly as Sam quickly shot down the plan his brother was trying to pull.

“Uh, no thanks. I’m fine.” Sam said. The older Winchester knew that would be a stupid idea as he mumbled his brother’s name. “Dean, I can wear this.”

“And look like a spaceman?” Dean asked.

“Look, I’m with Sam on this one. Just because you’re obsessed with that Wild West stuff—” You said, Dean scoffed at your accusation and denied that he did. “You have a fetish for it. I bet you got me a saloon girl outfit for me.”

“Shut up. No I didn’t.” Dean said, suddenly acting hurt at the accusation on his poor judgement of a time period outfit that wouldn’t work for the hunt. You didn’t fall for it as you raised your brow slightly, knowing you were still right about his unhealthy obsession with westerns. “I like old movies.”

“You can recite every Clint Eastwood movie ever made.” Sam said. “Line for line.”

“Even the monkey movies?” Josh asked from the corner of the library he was standing with a book he was reading. Dean tossed the man a glare from the conversation he butted himself into.

“Especially the monkey movies.” You said.

“His name is Clyde.” Dean mumbled. You shook your head from how Dean played himself into that one as Sam gestured an arm at his brother to prove the point he was trying to make. Dean held up the bag for his brother. “At least wear the damn shirt. And Y/N, I did not get you a saloon girl outfit…They didn’t have any.”

You rolled your eyes and grabbed the bag from him as Sam did the same, giving into the point that Dean was right. You couldn’t go walking around in 1861 with jeans and a flannel. It would raise too many questions. You claimed the upstairs bathroom to change leaving the boys to fend for themselves to find a place to get into character. You were expecting the outfit Dean picked out to be either non-practical or stupid. However, you were rather pleasantly surprised to see that everything fit right and seemed like it would work for this hunt.

The outfit Dean picked out consisted of a light blue pinstripe button up you tucked into a pair of beige jeans that paired well with a basic brown belt and riding boots that were your own. To top it off you even wore the hat he got you and adjusted the holster you would use to carry around at your side. You even went the extra mile of pleasing Dean by incorporating a bandana that matched the color of your shirt. Now you couldn’t help yourself but have a bit of fun. You tied it around your neck and pulled it up to conceal most of your face, only leaving your eyes. Maybe this wouldn’t be so bad, after all.

You exited the bathroom when you heard someone calling your name from downstairs after you were the last one up here. Making your way down the staircase and to the library, you made your grand entrance in the outfit Dean picked out. You couldn’t help yourself when you quickly drew your hands up and made finger guns for the hell of it since you were dressed like a bandit.

“All right, nobody move. This is a stickup.” You said, your voice slightly muffled from the fabric around your mouth. “Give me all your money.”

“Who the hell are you supposed to be, Billy the Kid?” Bobby asked. You mocked his question as you pulled down the bandana so it now rested around your neck like it was supposed to be. “All of you look like you’re going to a hoedown.”

“This is stupid.” Sam grumbled. “Told you I would look stupid.”

You turned your head to see that Sam was wearing a white button down with what looked to be yellow flowers designed into his shirt along with a cowboy hat he refused to wear. "Sam, you look so handsome.” You complimented him as you broke out into a smile from how he managed to pull off the shirt so well. You looked over at his brother, who was smiling ear to ear at how you were pulling off the outfit he picked out Your smile smile slowly faded when you saw him dressed in way you weren’t expecting. “Dean…what the hell are you wearing?”

“Now, is it customary to wear a blanket?” Cas asked. He couldn’t help himself but ask when he noticed the older Winchester’s outfit drastically differed from Sam’s and yours.

“It’s a serape. And, yes. It’s, uh…” Dean corrected the angel and got ready to explain the history of how it came into fashion. However it would have to wait for another day when you and his brother gave him a look. “Never mind. Let’s just go.”

You looked down at the desk to see Bobby had filled the duffel bag filled with some of the gold you stole from the dragon layer you hit a few months back. You grabbed your loaded gun and placed it in the holster of your jeans for safekeeping before you reached for the gold, wondering why all of you would need it. Bobby reminded you that things were different over a century and a half ago. Money you had like credit cards and dollar bills of presidents would be useless. It was all about gold back then.

“I’ll send you back to March 4th.” Cas said. “That should give you enough time to find the colt and this phoenix creature.”

“All right, well, see you at high noon tomorrow…partner.” Dean said, breaking out into a grin as he finally got to say something that he probably had always wanted. You and Bobby rolled your eyes when Dean added an added wink for effect.

Cas stepped forward to the three of you to send you a hundred and fifty years into the past, which would be the longest you had ever went back into. Time travel was some weird stuff. One minute you were standing in Bobby’s library, and the next minute you were sinking into what felt like mud. You opened your eyes to see that you were standing on a dirt road with the boys, a wooden sign just ahead with the words of “Sunrise WYO” painted in bold white letters. All of you had made it with no trouble at all. The fun was just about to begin.

“Oh, now we’re talking.” Dean whispered. He was in absolute bliss at what he was surrounded by. You were just happy you didn’t step in anything that came out from an animal’s ass. Sam made sure to program his watch for a twenty-four hour countdown. “Alright, let’s go find Samuel Colt. Hey, we should try to find a saloon first…see what we can get from the locals.”

“Sure.” You agreed with the plan. You looked over at him and took one glance at that serpae before letting out a chuckle from how ridiculous he looked. “Whatever, Sundance.”

“Hey Sammy. Think we’ll have time to hit on the saloon girls?” Dean asked. You looked over at the man with a slightly disgusted look. Those girls were a walking petri dish of infections. There was a chance you could catch something from just breathing the same air as them. Dean knew his idea was a stupid one. “Kidding. Come on.”

You and Dean started to head into town, Sam took one step to follow behind, but he stepped into something that didn’t feel like mud. “Oh dammit.” The younger Winchester hissed. He looked down to see that he walked right into a fresh pile of horse manure. He lifted up his new cowboy boot to see it was covered in crap. “Come on.”

“You know what that is?” Dean asked his brother when he took it upon himself to rest a hand on his shoulder to balance himself in attempt to kick off the manure before it could stick.

“Yeah.” Sam said, getting ready to say a not so nice word. “It’s horse—”

“Authenticity!” Dean cut off his brother with a grin.

Dean walked off without realizing that he nearly let Sam lose his balance and fall face first into the manure. You offered to help Sam by letting him lean his giant frame against your shoulder so he could kick off the crap before heading into town. You noticed that he was eyeing the bandana. “Don’t even think about it.” You warned him. You liked how it worked with your outfit. And Dean would be disappointed. “Get that crap on me I’ll rub your face in it.”

Sam rolled his eyes in frustration when he was left to kick off the manure as a last resort since he had no other options. He managed to get most of it off before the both of you caught up with an impatient Dean, who was nothing more than excited to get this hunt started.

\+ + +

The walk into town took only a few minutes from where you originally ended up, and what you saw from your new surroundings for the next twenty-four hours, it was everything you expected the wild west to be. Dirty, smelly and a public hanging that attracted the attention of the townsfolk to see a fellow neighbor get what they thought was rightful justice. You and the boys were dressed to the T for the surroundings and time period. You had to give credit to Dean for the hard work he put into thinking about the detail such as outfits. All of you blended well as you approached a crowd of people who watched a man about to be executed.

“We stand here today, March the 4th, 1861 to execute justice upon Elias Finch, for the murder of his own wife.” The judge conducting today’s hanging announced the severe crimes the man standing next to him committed that caused a noose to be around his neck. You found all of this a little bit gruesome for your own liking, knowing in just a few minutes a crowd of people were going to watch a man die right in front of their very eyes. Back in these times, it was normal. “Sentence handed down by myself, Tye Mortimer, duly appointed judge for the Wyoming Circuit. You will be hung by your neck until you die.”

“You got anything to say?” The sheriff asked his prisoner.

“You’re gonna burn for this.” Elias threatened the three men conducting his execution as a smirk slowly spread across his lips. You took a wild guess the man’s famous last words were probably about the fiery pits below their feet. It was all about the old time religion back in the day. He looked at the judge, then the sheriff before placing his attention on the young man about to pull the lever to make sure his message was clear. “Every one of you.”

Elias’ words were taken into consideration, but they would have no impact on the living after he was dead and gone. The deputy standing next to the sheriff did the honors of pulling the lever to trigger the trap door that sent Elias to plunge downward until until his body hung by the rope around his neck. You winced at the sound of his neck breaking echoed through the silence. The crowd of people audibly gasped in horror from what they heard. All of you watched as Elias’ dead body slowly dangled in the air beneath the platform he once stood on just a moment ago.

“Good times.” Dean quietly mumbled. You tried to pretend that you didn’t witness a man just get hung right in front of your eyes. The older Winchester got all of you focused on why you were here in the first place from the question he asked next. “So where do we find Sammy Colt?”

“No idea.” Sam admitted. He wondered where all of you would find a gunmaker in the wild west. You placed your hands on your hips and looked around at the crowd, wondering who might be of help. The younger Winchester found himself spotting the judge and the sheriff as they began walking down from the platform together. “Huh. I think I know who to ask.”

A man standing in front of you turned around to walk away after the big event had wrapped up, however he stopped and continued to stand where he was when he noticed the three of you behind him. He gave you and Sam a glance over before turning his attention to Dean. The man broke out into a snicker at what he saw the older Winchester wearing. “Nice blanket.”

You knew it wasn’t a compliment from the tone of his voice and how he quietly chuckled at how ridiculous he thought the man looked. You gave the stranger a warning glare to hit the road as your fingers brushed over the loaded gun resting against your side. Sam politely tipped his hat in a way to say hello, not wanting to cause trouble. You rolled your eyes when the man went on his way and looked over at Dean, who appeared nothing more than disappointed at what unfolded. He admitted defeat by handing over the duffel bag to his brother so he could take off the serape and drop it to the ground to reveal a black shirt and vest that looked more fitting. The three of you left the blanket on the muddy grounds where it would remain forever.

All of you began walking around town again in search for the sheriff’s station where you guessed the judge and sheriff would be after a hard’s day work of taking down another criminal. It wasn’t too much work to find the station. You followed behind the boys as they headed up the reakedy wooden steps and stepped inside. The station was what you seen in western movies; a one room building with a few empty cells in the back, drawings of wanted criminals and two desks where the deputy and the sheriff sat along with the judge. You noticed the judge and the sheriff sharing a bottle of whiskey and playing a round of cards.

“Sheriff,” Dean stepped forward to speak to the man. “Can we have a word?”

“Depends who’s asking.” The sheriff replied.

He stared the three of you with a skeptical look in his eye, knowing he hadn’t seen your faces around town before. And strangers coming around here without a clear reason why caused trouble. Dean was quick on his toes, giving the three of you aliases to fool the man.

“Marshal Eastwood. Clint Eastwood.” Dean introduced himself. You had a feeling he was all prepared for this moment, and sure enough, he had the badge to prove it. Dean undid one of the snap buttons on his vest to show off a western badge with the words marshal engraved into the metal. It took all your willpower not to roll your eyes, wondering why you didn’t see this coming in the first place. “This here’s, uh, Walker. He’s a Texas Ranger. And that there is Annie Oakley. She was the sheriff in her town for a short while.”

“What? Ain’t nobody ever heard of a lady being a sheriff.” The deputy scoffed. You remembered now that the nineteenth century wasn’t too kind to females and other groups of people that didn’t fit in a certain category. “Why don’t you run along little lady and let us men talk.”

“I’m here strictly on business. And I gotta say, I don’t take too kind to men like you. Just ‘cause I’m a lady don’t mean I can’t take down a bad guy. My partner here seems to have failed to mention they used to call me Sharpshooter Annie back in my old town. You want to know why?” You asked, playing along with the name Dean gave you as you spoke in almost of a southern drawl. You pulled out your loaded gun and pretended to examine it for a moment before pointing in the direction of the deputy. You shut one eye and lined up the barrel of the gun so it was facing him, but no way the bullet would hit him if you pulled the trigger. “Couple of bandits came rolling into town, tried to raise a little hell. You want to know what I did?”

The deputy swallowed slightly when you had a loaded gun in his direction. You let him sweat slightly when you put your finger on the trigger for a moment. You grew a smirk when he changed his tone into a timid and respectable voice. “What did you do, ma’am?”

“They got a good laugh when I said I was the sheriff of this town. Thought a lady was only good for two things. And I let them have their laugh…because it was the last thing they would ever do. I shot each and every one of them in the head. Didn’t miss once.” You told him a fictional story to make him rethink of how he should treat you. And you found this role a little too much fun than it should have been. “The nickname was given to me for my aim. I bet you a month of your salary I could shoot that hat right off without even leaving a mark on that handsome face of yours.”

You placed your gun back into the holster for safekeeping when you finished. The deputy went dead silent as he quickly looked away in your direction, a bit afraid of what you might do. You couldn’t help the smirk that curled at the end of your lips when Dean looked over at you, finding how you handled the situation flawlessly.

“So, what can I do for you?” The sheriff asked. 

“We’re looking for a man.” Sam said.

“I’ll bet.” The judge quietly said to himself. Your brow furrowed together when you overheard his remark, finding it a bit strange. He looked over at the older Winchester when he took notice the state of his clothing. “Nice shirt.”

“What’s wrong with my shirt?” Dean asked the judge. He subconsciously looked down to see if he had chosen a piece of clothing for the wrong time period.

“You’re very clean.” The judge noticed.

Dean swallowed as he smoothed down the shirt, “It’s dirtier than it looks.”

“We need to find Samuel Colt.” You said, cutting yourself back into the conversation to bring up the reason why you were here in the first place. “Do you know him?”

“The gun maker?” The sheriff wondered.

“Yeah.” Dean said. “Is he in town?”

“Not that I know of. Might try asking Elkins over at the saloon.” The sheriff suggested. You gave the boys a curious expression, thinking you might have a lead on tracking down Samuel like you had hoped. “Been here longer than God.”

You and the boys thanked the sheriff for his help by tipping your hat to him. You couldn’t stop the opportunity to taunt the deputy one more time when you gave him a wink before heading out first to find the saloon the sheriff suggested checking out. Finding the place wasn’t too hard. All you had to do was look for the front where the sign said saloon in big bold letters.

Dean had high expectations from those western movies he watched religiously since he was a kid. When he pushed open those two swinging doors he expected to be greeted by the sight of pretty saloon girls and cowboys drinking their whiskey. His smile slowly fell at what he really saw around him. There was a guy passed out cold on one of the tables with an empty glass in his hand. While there were saloon girls off in the corner, they weren’t exactly a sight for sore eyes. Everything about this place was awful. You sure as hell couldn’t wait to get home.

“This is not awesome.” Dean mumbled in disappointment. You gave him a sympathetic smile as you patted him on the back, not sure else what he was expecting. This was the real wild west. It was smelly and sure as hell dirtier than the movies he watched portrayed them to be.

You and the boys headed over to the bar, making sure not to disturb the passed out cowboy and his loud snoring. You greeted the bartender with a hello as Sam set down the duffel bag on the clean countertop the bartender had been cleaning with a rag. “What’ll you have?”

“Oh, uh…Okay, great.” Dean said. He let a small smile appear on his face when he found things starting to take a turn for the better when asked his drink of choice. “I’ll have your top-shelf whiskey.”

“Only have the one shelf.” The bartender said.

“That’ll do just fine.” Dean said, giving no fuss to the old man. “They’ll have a sarsaparilla.”

You looked over at the older Winchester with a slightly worried expression from what he ordered for you and Sam. He reassured you with a quick wink. You placed your hands on the bartop as Dean looked around at the place with awe. “Are you Elkins?” You asked the bartender as he placed down three, hopefully, clean shot glasses and grabbed a bottle to pour those drinks.

“One and only.” He said. 

“You know a man named Samuel Colt?” Dean asked the old man. 

“He passed through here about four years ago.” Elkins said. You found yourself breaking out into a smile at what you heard. Sam asked if the man might still be around today. “Rumor is he’s building a railroad stop twenty miles out of town, just by the postal road. Middle of nowhere.”

Elkins handed over the drinks you ordered. You reached for the glass and brought it up to your nose to take a sniff of it, not sure what you were about to take a sip of. It wasn’t what you were expecting. There were hints of what suspected was vanilla and mint along with licorice. It actually smelled pretty decent. You were about to take an experimental taste of it. Before you did, a feminine voice from behind caught you off guard.

“Howdy, boys.”

You looked over your shoulder to see a woman come strutting down the staircase with a grin on her lips. You realized she must have been another saloon girl working today and on the prowl for some gentleman company. And she was coming your way. You took notice of her clothing that consisted of nothing but a once white night dress and a shall that looked like it’d seen much better days. Your nose scrunched up slightly when you noticed her teeth were more yellow and stained then her clothing. Not to mention, the scabs around one side of her mouth were of things that modern medicine could have cured. She was a walking STD. And all other sorts of things you didn’t really wanna know about.

“Darla’s my best girl.” Elkins said to the brothers, giving Sam a smile of reassurance that he would be one satisfied customer if he wanted to take her upstairs for some fun.

The woman set her focus on Dean when she approached him and got directly into his personal space. Dean wanted nothing more than to run far away from her. All he could do was lean back when Darla got up close to his face. “Try me.” She said in a breathy tone. The stench of her breath made you nearly gag from how bad it was. Darla wouldn’t back down. “You want a kiss?”

“Hey, back off whore.” You said, coming to Dean’s rescue before he could contract something from her. Darla looked in your direction, yet she took no offense to your words. “He’s mine. And he ain’t looking to catch whatever you got.”

You gave her a warning glare, but before you could do anything that might have to involve you pushing her off Dean, thankfully someone seemed to want Darla’s company. “Judge.” She said, an annoyed expression crossed her face when she heard the voice of a familiar customer of hers. She put on a smile when she turned around to greet the older man you had just talked to a few minutes ago. “Nice to see you.”

“I thought we had a date.” The judge said, pointing a finger upstairs. You had to turn around in disgust when the old man looked over at the boys and tipped his hat at them, a smile spreading across his lips at what he was about to embark on. The west was a dirty, dirty time. You made a face as you shuddered at the mere thought of went on in this place as the two of them went upstairs to have a little afternoon delight.

“This place is so much more germier than I pictured.” Dean mumbled.

“You can say that again.” You agreed with the man, trying your hardest not to gag at what might possibly be going up there. You leaned against the bar and grabbed your drink to take a much needed sip after what you just witnessed. “When we get back home I’m so burning these clothes and taking a bath in bleach so I don’t catch something. That was a close one.”

“Guess it’s good to be the judge.” Sam said, you agreed to that as you lifted your glass.

You were pleasantly surprised at what you tasted when you finally took a sip of the sasparilla. It wasn’t half bad. Dean decided to finally take a drink of his whiskey. When it hit his tongue, that was about as far as it could go. He suddenly spit out the drink as he winced in discomfort at how badly it was really was. You put your drink down and placed a hand on his back, wondering if he was all right.

“Oh! It’s like gasoline.” Dean managed to say right before he broke out into a coughing fit.

Sam watched as his brother suffered through the pain as he took another sip of his drink. “Sarsaparilla ain’t half bad.”

You shoved your glass over to Dean and ordered him to take a drink before he could cough up a lung. Dean returned back to normal after he got something that wasn’t pure torture. You shook your head and pushed the whiskey away before he could do it again. The three of you stood around for a few minutes, enjoying the ambiance of the saloon and what little things it had to offer its customers. While Darla was upstairs with her customer, it seemed things weren’t going very well. All of a sudden the silence that fell through the saloon was erupted when a piercing scream of terror echoed through the air. You and the boys gave one another a concerned look, having a hunch that it wasn’t a good sign.

All of you headed upstairs to see what the commotion was all about. You found Darla’s room and swung open the door, thinking that you didn’t need to knock to discover what was causing all the commotion. You suddenly stopped dead in your tracks when you took a few steps into the room. Darala was huddled in the corner shaking in fear at what she just witnessed. The judge whom she had been enjoying an intimate moment with, who looked perfectly fine when you saw him last, was gone. But you had a feeling he didn’t run off. And he was the skeletal and ashy remains lying on the bed.

Elkins shouted for the sheriff when he discovered what remained of the judge with his own two eyes.. You and the boys circled around the bed as Darala stood behind the sheriff, who stared at the remains with a solemn expression. This was something nobody could really understand. Not even yourself.

“You okay, sheriff?” You asked the man in a concerned tone.

“Of course I’m okay.” The sheriff said.

“It was a ghost.” Darla claimed what she saw, standing behind the sheriff as she clung her robe tighter around her body.

“It wasn’t a ghost.” The sheriff said. You looked over your shoulder to see boot imprints on the ground when he pointed to them. It looked like they were melted soles of shoes the murder wore   
Before walking out. Whatever did this burned mighty hot. It explained why the judge was nothing more than ash. “Unless ghosts live footprints.”

“I am telling you, Elias Finch was here. He did that,” Darla told her story like she remembered it as she pointed to the bed of burning ashes. “And then he walked out that door.”

“Rope didn’t kill him.” The sheriff said, having a hunch he would need to take some precaution. “Seen it before.”

“You got any idea where he could be?” Sam asked.

“Could be a thousand places.” The sheriff said.

“Well, you got any way to flush him out?” Dean wondered.

“Of course. We’re gonna form a posse, then string Finch up right. Put a bullet in his head for good measure.” The sheriff told all of you his plan. You had to admit, it didn’t sound half bad. There was nothing more classic than an angry mob after a monster terrorizing their town. “You three should come along. Meet downstairs at dawn.”

“Yeah, we’ll be there.“ Dean said, not to missing an opportunity like this one.

The sheriff nodded his head. He was about to walk out the door, but before he did, he eyed the three of you and gave some helpful advice before you got yourself killed coming unprepared. “Get yourselves some real gear first, huh?”

You looked down at your outfit before looking over at the boys, having a feeling the sheriff wasn’t talking about you on this one. The boys subconsciously realized the sheriff was right about this one. You snickered to yourself and rested your hands on your hips where the holster carried the loaded gun you were carrying for protection.

“Well, I think we ought to pay our respects to Finch.” You suggested to the boys.

Sam agreed, “I was thinking the same thing.”

\+ + +

You and the boys headed to the graveyard after night fell with a few kerosene lanterns illuminating your way. Like you suspected, Elias Finch was still kicking, but you had a sneaky suspicion he wasn’t a ghost. The wooden coffin he was buried in was broken into shambles, looking like he dug his way out to seek a little revenge like he promised. His words of burning might not have meant internal hellfire for those who wronged him.

“You thinking what I’m thinking?” Sam asked you when he caught the sight of your face when you were deep in thought from what you were seeing.

“Rose from the ashes, burned up its victim? You know, maybe we’re not looking for a flaming bird.” You said, taking a wild guess at what you were possibly dealing with here. “Maybe the Phoenix is actually walking around in cowboy boots.”

“That makes sense, right? Could be Finch.” Sam agreed with your possible theory. He did make his final words to the judge. “So, question is, how do we put this thing out?”

Dean took a second to figure out a possible way to take down a man who could burn anyone to ash if he dare so wanted. If all of you were back in the modern day it would require research to learn a Phoenix’s weakness. But all you didn’t have to. You had something at your disposal to make the job a little easier. “Well, we do know one thing that’ll kill friggin’ anything, right?” Dean asked the both of you. Sam nodded his head, saying it was the colt. “So, Sammy, go get the gun.”

“But isn’t the gun coming here?” You asked the older Winchester. That’s why all of you were here in the first place. “I mean, according to Samuel Colt’s journal?”

“Yeah, but people here barely even know who Colt is. Maybe Sam’s got to go find him and make history. You and I can stay here, hook up with the posse. ‘Cause you know me—I’m a posse magnet. I mean, I love posse.” Dean said. He felt the need to go on as he broke out into the toothy grin. You crossed your arms over your chest as Sam stared at his brother with a deadpan expression. Neither one of you were amused as Dean was. “Make that into a t-shirt.”

“You done?” Sam asked his brother, wondering if the man wanted to try and get serious for a minute here. Dean looked down at the ground before finally getting the smile off his face. “Look, the problem is, Colt’s twenty miles outside of town. How am I supposed to get there and back before noon?”

The sound of a horse neighing in the not too far distance answered the question before either you or the boys could ponder on it for too long. You raised your brow slightly as you looked over to see there was a horse not too far from the cemetery. Looking back at Sam, the ends of your lips curled into a smile. “Ride 'em, cowboy.”

The gold Bobby gave you as a precaution came mighty handy when you asked to buy a blacksmith’s horse with all the duffel bag full of it. He was a happy customer, solving one bump in the road. Now the only problem that remained was getting Sam on the horse. Him and Dean tried to figure it out as you softly stoked the horse and quietly talking to it, smiling and keeping it calm. It took Sam a few tries before he managed to get himself up on the saddle and comfortable for the long ride ahead of him.

“Hey. This actually feels all right.” Sam said, a small smile of relief crossing his face as the horse responded to the way he pulled on the reins. You stoked the horse one more time and stepped back, warning Sam to be careful. “All right, eleven a.m., right?”

“Don’t be late!” Dean warned his brother as he started to take off on the long journey ahead of him. You watched with a careful eye as Sam was about a yard away before you noticed himself almost slip off the saddle before he adjusted himself and took off with a faster speed. “That poor horse.”

\+ + +

Dean’s idea of getting some real gear for the gathering to hunt down this Elias Finch was getting a new jacket made out of pure leather and a bigger, better cowboy hat. You thought he looked a little bit more ridiculous than when all of you got here. He insisted that he looked better. You kept with the outfit you had on. The both of you headed to the saloon first thing at dawn, Dean marched into the place with confidence, you trailed behind. You thought there was going to be a big turn out, or at least someone. But all who remained in the place was Darla and the same drunk you seen yesterday when you came around. You resisted the urge to kick him to make sure he was still alive. The loud snores you heard told you that he was just fine.

Elkins was cleaning up some dirty glasses from the table after most of the men cleared out to nurse their hangovers and return to their wives. He stopped for a moment when he saw you and Dean walking toward him.

“New hat.” Elkins said, noticing a change from the last time he saw the two of you.

“I look good.” Dean said with a sly smirk. You shook your head and rolled your eyes from the way he was acting. Elkins responded with a blank stare. The older Winchester looked around the saloon to see there wasn’t anybody around except for just a few souls. “Where’s the posse? We must be early.”

Elkins let out a quiet chuckle, “Or you two are the only greenhorns dumb enough to go chasing after a ghost.”

“What are you talking about?” Dean asked. “Sheriff’s tough as nails. He’ll be here.”

As if it was some kind of comedic cue, a voice shouted from outside to inform the town of some pretty unfortunate news. “Oh, God! The sheriff’s dead!”

You wondered if one thing in your life could work out the way it was supposed to. One thing that didn’t end up in a complete disaster. You looked over at Dean, who seemed a little bit surprised to see how quick things could turn. The both of you followed behind Elkins outside to discover the charred remains of the sheriff, the same way the judge was left for dead. You let out a sigh when you realized Finch was moving fast. He already had two victims under his belt, one more and he would have his revenge.

“Great.” Dean muttered in frustration. “Who’s the sheriff now?”

Elkins had an idea of who might be a good fit to fill the position. He bent down and grabbed the shiny gold badge. Using the bar rag he carried outside, he dusted off the badge and ignored Dean’s confused expression when Elkins pinned the gold star onto his vest. “Well,” The old man stepped back and took a good look at the new person in charge. “Congratulations, sheriff.”

\+ + +

There will always be a motive for why people do what they do. And that also included monsters. It didn’t take much effort to figure out why Elias Finch hunted down the judge and sheriff to turn them into ash and bone. Because he wanted revenge on the men who tried to put him six feet under the ground. And if you weren’t fast enough, the deputy would be next. He was the last missing piece you could use against Elias for him to come to you. Along with saving a life. The only problem with the plan was trying to find the deputy and for him to agree with the plan before he tried to run against something that would get him eventually.

You and Dean tracked down the whereabouts of the deputy and decided to pay him a visit before he even thought about skipping down. Because he wouldn’t make it too far. You knocked on the door of the boarding room the deputy lived in. Lucky for you, the idiot responded to see who to it was. You looked over at Dean, who stood next you, urging for you to go along with this stupid plan he made up on the spot. Clearing your voice, you spoke in a soft and feminine voice. “Candygram for Mongo.”

You felt like an idiot for what you agreed to, but it worked. When the deputy answered the door to see what he presumed was a pretty face, he was taken back in surprise to see he was staring down the barrel of two guns. He tried to pull out his own to try and make himself appear just as threatening.

“Howdy, pilgrim.” Dean greeted the man.

The deputy’s face scrunched up slightly from what he thought was an insult. “I ain’t no pilgrim.”

“All right, back up.” You ordered at the man as you waved your loaded gun slightly for him to get into the room so you and Dean could enter. When the deputy wouldn’t move, you rolled your eyes in annoyance. “Is that any way to…” You nodded your head to Dean, who pushed back his jacket slightly to show off the gold star pinned to his vest. Dean offered for you to take it, you gladly let him live through his fantasy a little longer. “Greet your new bosses?”

“Missed you at the posse this morning. We were a two-man wolf pack, thanks to you.” Dean said. The deputy scoffed and returned back to his bed where you saw an open suitcase and a pile of clothes he was furiously shoving inside quick as he possibly could go. “What’s going on here?”

“Going to visit my sister.” The deputy said as he continued to pack his suitcase fast as he could go.

“Well, she’ll have to wait.” You informed the man of the change in plans. The deputy stopped for a moment to look at you with an almost panicked expression when he realized why the two of you were here for. You weren’t going to let him skip town, even though he tried to tell you that his life was in danger. And so would others if he didn’t do what you told him to. “Finch said he was coming back for the former Sheriff, Judge Mortimer, and you. That’s two down and one to go.”

“Then just let me go! “ The deputy pleaded.

“You really think you can outrun him? He is going to kill you. Unless…” Dean told the man the bitter truth of how things were going to work out if he tried to bolt. The deputy looked at the both of you with an uneasy expression from what Dean was about to suggest. “Unless we gank him first.”

“‘Gank’? What’s ‘gank?’” The deputy asked with an utmost confused expression at the strange language he had never heard of before. “Mister, you’re crazy. No way. You’re on your own.”

“We’re not asking you to throw down with him. I’m asking you to play your part.” You explained to him in terms that he would understand. The deputy still looked at you with a funny expression as he asked you what his part was. The question made a smirk spread across your lips. “Bait.”

\+ + +

Ten minutes until noon and Sam was still nowhere to be in sight. You let out a sigh of nervous frustration as you peered out the window for the third time in the past few minutes. Sam was a punctual person. He was always on time when you told him you needed to be somewhere. Why, out of all the times it counted the most, the man was dragging ass? If all of you didn’t do this by twelve p.m., all of the effort you put into this plan would be a waste. You would be right back to square one. And you couldn’t afford to be back at the starting line.

You stepped back from the window and wandered back to the desk Dean was sitting on the edge, mindlessly fiddling with a iron screw he found. You placed your hands on your hips with one resting on the holster holding your loaded gun, a subconscious effort to make yourself feel prepared for what you were about to go up against.

You’ve faced a lot of things before over the years, a phoenix who could turn a human body into ash with a simple touch was a new one for you. Most creatures at least had to give up a fight if they wanted to live. It was the reason why you were a bit nervous to be going up against him. While Finch may be powerful, he had something to take him down. Everyone had a weakness, including a phoenix. You might have figured it out, but if you were wrong…

“So this is your big plan, huh?” The deputy paced around the jail cell you threw him into after he was unwillingly dragged here. You rolled your eyes from his constant bellyaching from your plan that he thought was going to make him a sitting duck for the enemy to burn to a crisp. “Just let me rot in here till Finch comes.”

“Pretty much.” You said. You had to admit this plan was pretty risky. You would never be the one to dangle an innocent person as bait for a monster to sink its teeth into. But you had an overwhelming feeling that revenge wasn’t what really fueled this situation. There had to be more nobody was telling you. “Why’s he coming after you, anyway?”

“I guess you missed the part where we hung him, lady?” The deputy said. You looked over your shoulder and narrowed your eyes on the man from the tone of his voice. He took it as a subtle threat for him to stop pacing and change his attitude around you.

“No, I’m thinking, to a thing like Finch, that’s no big deal.” You turned around in your spot to face the deputy so you could get ot the bottom of this situation. Finch seemed like the kind of monster who kept his head down and tried not to cause too much trouble. If he got convicted of a crime, he would probably take the hanging and be off on his way before causing some more trouble in another town. But he stuck around to pick off the people who punished him. “If I was him, I would’ve just blown town, but he came back. That seems personal.”

“I’ll tell you what,” The deputy tried to strike up a proposition with you. You raised your brow slightly, wondering if he thought you were an idiot like he was to fall for such a deal. “You let me out of here, we’ll talk.”

“No can do.” Dean told the man.

The deputy huffed out a few nervous breaths as his demeanor changed for a split second into a man scared for his life. He thought that he was a trapped man with little time left to live. Only he didn’t think it was going to end so soon. You saw his face drop into a panicked expression when he stopped staring off into the distance and something from behind you. You looked over your shoulder when you heard the door click shut. As the deputy backed away, Elias Finch slowly took off his gloves, his cold and stony glare on the man he was set on killing like the rest.

“Open up that cell.” Elias commanded in a calm tone.

“Open it yourself. You melt people’s faces off. I bet you got the juice to tear that apart easy, don’t you?” Dean asked the other man. Elias didn’t respond. He suddenly froze in his spot and stood there for a moment. You could read the ever so subtle hint of hesitance when he noticed the bars were made of iron material. Something he couldn’t touch.

“Unless you can’t. Just like you couldn’t break those cuffs when they strung you up.” You said. Dean tossed the iron nail he had been holding straight at Elias, who managed to grab it without an ounce of hesitance. However, when the iron made contact with his skin, it sizzled, causing him to drop the nail to the ground and wince in pain, proving your theory right. “Iron shackles. Iron bars, iron nail. See a pattern? Well, don’t worry. Most creatures we meet can’t get it up for iron. It’s a common monster problem.”

“So you’re a hunter.” Elias gathered from the way you were speaking about him.

“Slash sheriff.” Dean added, showing off his badge to the man.

“You know what this son of a bitch did?” Elias asked. You quickly glanced over at the clock to see it was five minutes until twelve and Sam was still nowhere to be seen. You looked back over at the man and shrugged, deciding you had some time to hear his side of things. “I was married to a woman. Good woman, human. We lived outside of town, didn’t bother anyone.”

“Sure.” Dean said, pretending to buy the story of an innocent man. “A freak with a heart of gold.”

“You wanna call me ‘monster,’ fine. But all we did was go into town. I go into the bank for five minutes, I come out, she’s gone. Then I heard her scream. This man…had her pinned in the alley. I go to stop him, he pulls out his gun, shoots me, then her. She died in my arms.” Elias told his story of how things really happened. He looked away from the scum that killed his beloved and to Dean, asking a simple question. “I felt her take her last breath before she was gone, forever. Now tell me, have you ever suffered a tragedy like that?”

“Yeah.” Dean admitted. You found yourself drifting away from Elias when you heard what the older Winchester say. He changed slightly into a solemn expression at the memory he tried to fight off. Back when you just defeated the apocalypse, minutes away from death. “Yeah, actually I have.”

“Then you know how much I wanted revenge on those bastards. He thought he got away with this. Of course, I don’t die.” Elias said. He stood in front of the iron bars and stared at the deputy who ruined his life. He smirked when the little man cowered in fear. “The shots brought the sheriff. Next thing I know, I’m in iron. That’s why I want him just where he is. Trapped, scared. I saved the best for last.”

“Is that true?” You questioned the deputy behind the iron bars. He responded with a shrug and a mildly guilt ridden expression. There was no use of lying with the truth out in the open.

“So tell me.” Elias said. “Are you two really willing to die to protect this piece of filth?”

“Honestly, I could care less about him. He’s a coward and dick.” You gave the honest truth about how you felt about the man behind the iron bars. It seemed the deputy found the insults a bit hurtful. You gave him a look of disbelief before you rolled your eyes. “But this isn’t about him. I know what you are. And we gotta kill you. It’s nothing personal.”

“If you know what I am, then you know you can’t.” Elias said. 

You looked away for a split second to look at the time, thinking you might need to check on the rate of how things were going before you bragged about Samuel Colt and the gun he would be bringing. Only you didn’t realize that was probably the stupidest mistake you could have done. Your focus went straight back to Elias when he grabbed a gun hanging from a wooden beam just a few steps from the cell he was standing next to. His revenge didn’t come in the form of burning his wife’s killer alive, but a shot to the heart. You watched as the deputy fell to the floor, dead before he hit the ground.

“Wow,” You heard Dean quietly mutter to himself. “I should’ve seen that coming.”

You decided to make up a new plan on the spot. Suddenly you were thanking your past self for choosing iron rounds to fill your gun instead of silver like your original plan. You drew out your gun from the holster and pointed it at Finch. You needed him alive to get the ashes, but you had a feeling things would be a little bit easier if he wasn’t capable of holding a loaded gun. You pulled down on the trigger, expecting for a round to go off, but all you heard was a soft click. You furrowed your brow slightly and tried again…only to realize your gun was jammed.

You were about to curse underneath your breath and try to pull the trigger again, but Dean didn’t want to stick around to see who was faster. Finch looked in your direction and realized what you were about to do. Suddenly you felt someone grab you from behind and yank you towards the window to make a quick escape. Dean threw himself out of the window with a tight grip around your waist. You landed on the ground, Dean’s body cushioning you from the broken glass all over the ground. The both of you scurried up to your feet and bolted straight forward for cover.

Finch shot off two rounds in attempt to try and slow either one of you down before you could get away. You and Dean managed to take a breather when you found cover behind a wall. You took a second to figure out what the hell was causing your gun to jam. You realized guns back in the day were a bit more complicated than the ones you were used to. Dean offered a helping hand when he pushed down on a switch he called the hammer. Unlike the guns you used back in your time, they didn’t need to be constantly fiddled with. You could shoot off one round and not have to worry about something like that. You finally got your gun ready and waited for Finch as Dean slowly peered over the wall, trying to see if he could spot the other man.

You found your attention being pulled away from trying to find Finch when you heard a familiar voice quietly call out your name. You looked straight ahead to see that Sam was finally back from his journey, you waved a free hand at him to come quickly and quietly. You scanned the area to see if you could find anyone else trailing behind the man, but it appeared that Sam was alone.

“Where’s Colt?” You asked the younger Winchester.

“He’s not coming.” Sam informed you and his brother. If you thought today couldn’t get any worse, it did. You stared at him with a defeated look at how doomed all of you were. But Sam didn’t come back empty handed. You glanced down to see him pull out something you hadn’t seen in a while, changing your attitude right around. "But he sent this.”

Your lips stretched into a smirk at the sight of the infamous colt itself, live and in the flesh. Dean greedily grabbed the gun from his brother’s hands and inspected it for himself. “Hello, beautiful.” He inspected the weapon for a second after Sam took the other one off his hands. Dean put the colt into the holster and pushed the two of you to start walking. “All right. Come on.”

Dean had a plan to draw out Finch, and you didn’t have time to draw out a better one in the last few minutes you were going to be here. You and Sam were told to keep out of sight as Dean walked out into the open, where not a single soul was found except for the three of you. Dean decided to have a little fun. And you knew exactly where this was going when he started to yell for Finch to get out here. Sam, however, thought his brother was being a bit reckless.

“What are you doing?” The younger Winchester asked in a slightly concerned tone.

“I have a feeling Dean’s about to live out his wildest dreams.” You said, peering out from behind a few barrels that were about tall as you. You could see that the older Winchester’s shouts were noticed, a few moments later Finch stepped out from the sheriff’s and out to the open. “Looks like we’re about to witness a Mexican standoff, Sammy.”

“So this is how you wanna die.” Finch said, stepping down to the dirt road so he could face the man that was about to see another bloody end. Or so he thought.

You could feel your teeth sinking into the skin inside of your cheek in nervous anticipation from what was about to unfold. All of you had precious seconds before you were going to be pulled back into the future and Finch was still alive. The man now stood straight across from Dean, the two of them staring each other down, each of their hands hovering inches away from their guns, waiting for the first one to make the move. You looked over at the clock tower to see there was only a minute left until noon. It was now or never to figure out who had the faster draw.

Finch might be a powerful creature as a pheonix with the ability to turn people into ash, but he would never be a match for Dean Winchester. A man who dreamed about this moment his entire life–and a hunter with lightning fast reflexes. Dean reached for the colt, and before Finch could even point his own gun at the older Winchester, Dean pulled down on the trigger and put a bullet right in Finch, giving him a bit of his own medicine.

The colt worked its magic on Finch, turning him into nothing more than ash as he slowly caught on fire before bursting into ash. Dean took a moment to rival in his victory, blowing off smoke from the barrel of the gun. While it was exciting to see his plan had worked, you still had one more step to complete before you could go home.

The loud chiming from the bell tower reminded you that time was up. And just like that, you were reminded that you needed the ash of a phoenix to defeat Eve. Your feet worked faster than your brain. You went running fast as you could, figuring out the details of how you would carry the ash back home when you got later. Dean realized what you were doing, and in a panic move, he accidentally dropped the colt to the ground and fetched out a glass jar to help you. You dropped yourself to the ground and skidded across the dirt, you were so close to touching the smoldering hot ashes…and when you thought you did, all you felt was carpet.

You blinked, and just like that, you found yourself kneeling on the ground of Bobby’s house. You looked up from the ground and frantically prayed you were still in the wild west. But you weren’t. You were greeted with the sight of three emotionally drained faces from the trouble they had to go through to get you safely back home. You looked over at Dean, who was down on his knees next to you, holding a bottle that was empty. All of that trouble you went through, all for nothing.

You pushed yourself up to your feet and inhaled a deep breath, trying your hardest not to do something stupid out of pure anger from what you couldn’t complete. You wanted so badly to throw something. You resorted to the stupid cowboy hat you’d been wearing for a day straight. You threw it straight to the ground and walked away, your fists clenching together.

The boys were disappointed themselves at what happened. Sam leaned himself against the doorframe as Dean quietly paced back and forth. Cas was psychically drained from what he had to do in order to get you back home. Bobby offered a way to power back up the angel, but even that took every ounce of his energy to help. Josh was a bystander to all of this. He could only offer a sympathetic smile, which you brushed off with an eye roll.

“You gotta send us back.” You couldn’t help yourself when you told the angel to do something you knew he couldn’t quite do right now. You stared down at him with an angered expression, even though none of this was his fault. You were more upset at yourself at what you couldn’t accomplish, he was just the poor bastard standing in your way. Cas returned it with one of his own before looking away from you.

“Y/N, look at him.” Sam said. “He’s fried.”

“I never wanna do that again.” Cas declared in a tired, mumbled voice.

You let out a quiet sigh when you finally took into consideration how badly Cas was. You looked away from him and to the other man sitting behind the desk. He appeared to be worse than the angel. You quietly spoke the man’s name in a worried tone. “I’m still kicking, Annie Oakley.” Bobby reassured you and the boys. But it still didn’t make you feel any better about the situation and what you put the two of them through. “Be back good as new in a decade or two.”

“And we screwed the pooch.” Dean muttered. “Bobby, I’m sorry.”

The older Winchester was about to apologize for all the trouble the three of you caused for nothing, but his words remained on the tip of his tongue when something interrupted him. There was a knock on the door. You furrowed your brow slightly, wondering who was here. You looked over at Sam to see the both of you shared a suspicious feeling about this. You followed behind him to answer the door. Who stood on the porch was someone you weren’t expecting at all. It was a delivery guy with a package in his hands.

“Is there a Sam Winchester here?” The guy asked, looking down at his clipboard. Sam decided to play it on the cautious side, wondering who wanted to know. The guy broke out into a half smile from what he was about to say. “Look, this is nuts. Me and a couple guys made a bet. So this thing’s been laying around the office since…ever. Uh, with a note on it saying to bring it here today. It’s from a Samuel Colt.”

Sam stepped forward at the sound of a familiar name he wasn’t expecting to hear from this stranger. He stepped forward to claim the package, mumbling a thank you to the delivery guy before heading inside. You gave him a smile and backed into the house, not giving him a chance to get a signature before you slammed the door in his face and quickly trailed behind the younger Winchester back to the library. You didn’t know what was inside the package, but you had a good feeling about this. Maybe it was the colt. Perhaps you could use it on Eve and it would work just as good.

The younger Winchester put the box on the desk and didn’t waste a second in opening up the paper packaging and sliding out the wooden box that was wrapped up. All of you exchanged a look of anticipation from what was inside. Sam slid off the opening of the box to reveal a note was lying on top. What the first thing he pulled out was his cell phone. You gave him a slightly confused expression as to why it looked so beat up and dirty. Sam put it down and grabbed the note to read it.

“‘Dear Sam, I go this address and date off your thingamajig…and I thought the enclosed might come in handy. Regards, Samuel Colt.” He read the letter out loud, only making your suspicion about what he was going to pull out of the box grow more. Sam moved a few pieces of what looked to be hay that helped cushion the fragile package from breaking and pulled out a glass bottle. You felt yourself breaking out into a smile when you notice the content was black. You had seen that just a few minutes ago to realize what it was.

“Is that what I think it is?” Bobby asked.

“Ashes of a phoenix.” Dean answered the older man’s question. “Know what this means?”

“Yeah.” Bobby said. “I didn’t get a soulonoscopy for nothing.”

“Yeah.” Dean agreed with the man on his point. But that wasn’t the most important thing of them all. “And this means we take the fight to her.” 

“Yeah. And means we take the fight to her.” Dean said. All of this effort was for something. You had a way to take down Eve once and for all. The man was feeling a bit confident at the victory all of you could celebrate. Dean slowly put back on his cowboy hat and grew a smirk. “Yippee ki-ya, mother–”

“No. No, you’re not going there.” You cut off the man before he could say something untasteful. You stared at the man for a second or so until you broke out into a smile, suddenly feeling all sorts of relief from what you managed to pull off. You had one problem taken care of for now. But you still had another one that needed your attention. “Now, I don’t know about you guys, but I need a shower.”

\+ + +

Memories are fragile things people take for granted. Sam couldn’t remember anything from the year he was soulless, you blacked out on a handful of occasions and woke up in circumstances that left you feeling scared. The difference between you and the younger Winchester was that you didn’t have an excuse to what was going on with you. You didn’t spend a year soulless. But you had a monster coming for you. Talking about torture and revenge. About things you couldn’t remember for the life of you. You had this problem since you were a little kid, and while it went away, you had this feeling…there was something here.

You let out a sigh as you stared at the three boxes Josh had taken from the attic in your house you hadn’t been to in months. The contents inside were of old medical documents your mother insisted on keeping, and for some reason, you didn’t ever throw them away or look back at them until today. Today you were determined to go through every piece of paper until you found out what the hell was going on with you. You would do all the research and figure out why you were being accused of things you would never do. Maybe they were connected to your blackouts, maybe this was all a cheap trick by Eve to get all of you riled up.

“You sure about keeping this on the down low?” Josh asked. He stood by your side and stared at the intimidating amount of boxes he agreed to go through with you. You nodded your head. You didn’t want the boys to know about this and get worried over nothing. “What the hell are we looking for, anyway?”

“Honestly…I don’t know. Guess I’ll know when I find it.” You admitted, shrugging your shoulders.

You picked one box to go through, Josh took another. The both of you sat in silence for the next hour mindlessly shuffling through what felt like hundreds of documents that were half medical, other things like school report cards and old essays you wrote to billing statements from twenty years ago were stuffed in here. Your mother was a pack rat. She kept on to everything from the past. You felt like you were never going to get to what you were looking for.

You were halfway through your box when you found a folder labeled as “Y/N’s drawings ‘85.” Doing a quick mental calculation in your head, you were about four at the time. The year your life changed dramatically. You moved away from your old home in Kansas, left your best friends and started a new life. You remembered that you were big into drawing at the time. How else was a kid supposed to past the time? The question was, why did your mother keep them in a folder. You reached inside the box and found there were a few more that were labeled the same. They all spanned from ‘83 to ‘86. You grabbed the one from ‘85 and placed it in front of you.

You didn’t know what you were expecting to find when you opened up the folder and examined the first page. You furrowed your brow slightly when you stared down at a piece of pink construction paper with crayon markings all over the page. It took you a second to realize that these were drawings you made when you were younger. Mothers loved their children’s artwork through the years. But you doubt one would go through all this trouble to keep them dated and neatly organized. You pulled out the drawing and examined it for a moment. It seemed your four year old self had tried to draw what looked like a happy family with a sun in the top right corner and a house in the background. You smiled slightly and pulled out another one.

Your smile faltered slightly when you stared at the next picture. You pulled out another one…and another…until you had three different crayon drawings on multiple colors of construction paper. The people you drew might have looked like a happy family. Mom, Dad and kid. Only the disturbing part about it was that Mommy’s eyes were replaced with an “X” mark. To represent as if she were dead. Daddy had black eyes, like a demon. Another picture looked like what people thought an angel would look like, halo and wings. Somebody wrote bad in big, black letters. The last picture you pulled out was just a person. But, again, the eyes were replaced with big black eyes. Like a demon. And beneath the picture someone wrote “good.”

“Hey, Y/N,” Josh broke your concentration away from the crayon drawings when he called out your name. You looked up to see what he wanted. He raised a brow as a smile spread across his lips. You looked to see that he was holding an old VHS tape. “Want to watch a movie?”

\+ + +

Ella watched as her daughter quietly sat at the table with a new box of crayons and a rainbow of construction paper she picked up from the store on the way here. She nervously watched as Y/N quietly continued to draw a picture of her family like the psychologist kindly asked her to do. Ella reached out a tucked a piece of hair out of Y/N’s face, smiling slightly at how much concentration Y/N was putting into the photograph. She was so much like her father. She put effort into everything she did, and took everything so personally.

The move from Kansas to Y/H/S was tough. Her daughter had to say goodbye to everything she loved. Her best friends, her childhood home she grew up in and a chance at starting school Y/N was so excited to attend after taking a tour of it for next year. But Ella couldn’t stay. There were too many memories in that house, too many reminders of what she did. The reason why she moved halfway across the country was for a fresh start. She expected Y/N to have a hard time adjusting. All the parenting books she read was that there was to be expected outbursts and silent treatment from Y/N.

However…Ella didn’t read about the part where her daughter got so angry she blacked out and wouldn’t wake up for ten minutes, having no recollection of the outburst. The doctors said that Y/N just merely overworked herself and anxiety was to blame. She was going through a lot from processing her father’s death and the big move.But then it happened again a few months later.

It was one weekend afternoon, a few weeks before school started, the two of them were at the playground enjoying the sunny weather and making friends. Y/N was playing on the swing set with a possible new friend while Ella chatted away with the mother. All of it seemed like it was going well until she looked over and saw her daughter to see how things were going. Hopeful that Y/N was having a good time as she was, Ella was taken back in horror when she witnessed her daughter grab a fistful of the other little girl’s hair and threw her to the ground.

Y/N didn’t say anything. She didn’t laugh at what she was doing, she didn’t kick the girl like how most bullies would. She just stood there with a blank expression on her face while the girl let out a scream. Her mother bolted for her child as Ella did the same. She pulled Y/N away from the little girl and shook her. She shook her daughter so hard she broke her out of another one of her spells. Y/N came back around, and when she heard her friend crying, she suddenly became worried at what happened. Y/N didn’t realize it was her fault.

Ella tried not to think much about it. Perhaps her daughter learned a thing from John’s kid when she watched them during their time when he was out on hunts. She was happy now they were out of her life. But she couldn’t let out a breath of relief just yet. Because it happened again a week later while Y/N was playing with her dolls. Ella had been watching her, but as she stepped out for a minute when a neighbor came to the door to return some tubberware from a party she threw the other night. The two of them talked for only a few minutes, she left Y/N alone for two minutes tops.

When she came back to check on her daughter, Y/N sat in the middle of the floor, all of her dolls were lined up in a row. But all of their heads were ripped off, their synthetic hairs were all over the floor. Y/N had managed to steal a pair of scissors from the kitchen to chop off her dolls hair before beheading them. Her daughter had that same blank expression on her face…only when Y/N came back around to see all her favorite toys were destroyed, she burst into tears. Because all her friends were dead. And when asked if she did it, Y/N didn’t remember. Ella decided that enough was enough. Something was going on with her daughter.

Ella spent a few days tracking down the best child psychologist in the state. She and Y/N’s pediatrician did all sorts of medical tests when this started happening to her. Y/N was healthy as a four year old could be. There was physically nothing wrong with her. But she was still having these outbursts. Next part would be testing her daughter for a mental disorder. Ella feared the worst. She was raising a future sociopath. The psychologist she met laughed at her concern and reassured her that it was too soon to tell of such thing. They didn’t know her daughter wasn’t conceived the natural way. Azazel did something to her daughter. He had to.

The psychologist decided to start off their first session in a more relaxed state before asking all sorts of questions. Ella would sit with her daughter as she made a few drawings of things she liked and disliked like how the psychologist asked, Y/N smiled from ear to ear and agreed. Ella tried not to look into the two-way mirror that showed her reflection. Behind the glass was a video camera and the psychologist. The psychologist thought it would be better for all of this to be put on tape to look back on to figure out what triggered Y/N. Ella let out a sigh and put a smile on her face, reaching for a pink colored construction paper of the family Y/N drew…


	15. Mommy Dearest.

You were never much of the praying type. Because whenever you tried to, nobody ever seemed to listen. But it didn’t stop you when you were feeling desperate and in need for a miracle. Back when you didn’t know there was a neglectful God and angels were such dicks. Sometimes you sent out a little prayer for help to get you through the day. When you got out of hell for the second time, you prayed for months to know if one of your good friends was alive. That’s all you wanted to know from him.

You were forced to witness Cas get blown to pieces right in front of your eyes by Lucifer himself. It was one of the worst things you had ever seen. Still to this day you had nightmares about that frightful day. You knew Bobby and Dean were okay because you checked on them a week after you got out. All though you avoided all contact with Dean for long as you could, you watched him from the shadows every so often to make sure he was all right. Bobby would have most likely kicked your ass if you tried to pull a stunt like you did on Dean. Sam was by your side after the both of you got out. You knew your family was alive. Except for one.

The last person to know who was okay was Cas. You took a leap of faith and presumed that the angel was brought back to life as well as the rest of you. But that didn’t help your worried mind. You wanted to see him with your own two eyes. The problem you had was trying to contact him. And only the way you knew how to contact an angel was to pray. So, you did just that. You sat in an empty room and talked for a few minutes…to your disappointment, nothing came of it. But you didn’t let that stop you. You tried it again the next day. And the next one…Soon, seven months went by and you hadn’t gotten a single respond back. You had a feeling your prayers were falling on deaf ears. But you were too desperate to stop yourself.

Sometimes you prayed to see if Cas could do anything about Sam. He wasn’t himself since you got out of hell with him. But you didn’t always pray for a favor. Sometimes you sat in your empty motel room and talked to yourself for a few hours, pretending that he was there. Pretending that he was okay. Maybe he heard you, maybe he didn’t care. You took a personal offense to the fact Dean could call on the angel and he was there after a year’s worth of silence. You thought the both of you were friends. The two of you rebelled against who you were supposed to be. He was there for you in the way nobody else could be. All you were asking was for some clarification that he was all right. Yet he couldn’t even do that.

“It’s not gonna work.” You said again. You felt like an idiot standing up in your chair and looming over the boxes, the motel table covered in stacks of neatly piled documents and drawings. Josh convinced you that you needed help on this project. You didn’t want to involve the boys, so he suggested another friend. “He’s too weak.”

“Seemed perfectly fine when we left.” Josh argued your weak excuse you tried to pull. You let out a sigh and looked down at the table where the drawings stared at you, almost taunting you. A nervous feeling settled in your expression as you bit your bottom lip. “We’re not asking for a miracle from him. You just wanna talk to him. You said he knows all about this problem. He’s the best person to confidence in, right?”

You rolled your eyes, knowing damn well he was right. You let out another sigh and closed your eyes, trying to remember how exactly to pray. It’d been a while since you did it. You hoped this would work. “Castiel, it’s Y/N. I need your help.” You prayed out loud, wondering what else you could say in order to get him to come down here without making him worry. You opened one eye up to see you and Josh were still alone. You shut it and tried again. “Look, I know you’re busy. I just want to talk. I know this is weird, but…I think there’s something wrong with me.”

You expected all odds to be against you. Cas had too many problems to right now worry about besides a condition you had since you were a child. The drawings and video might have been a coincidence. But you learned quickly in your life as a hunter there were no such thing. You opened your eyes after a few seconds expecting the room to be the same as it was before. To your surprise, a familiar face stood at the opposite end of the table. Your brow arched up slightly to see the angel himself was here. Alive and in the flesh.

“Hello, Y/N.” Cas said. He greeted you in a calm tone as he looked over in Josh’s direction to give him a nod to acknowledge his presence. The angel seemed to find your surprised reaction a little strange. “You look startled. What seems to be the problem?”

“It’s just…Nevermind.” You mumbled. You decided not to bring up the fact that this might be the first time in over a year that he actually answered your prayer without the help of Dean. You reached out and held up the video tape you and Josh seen over an hour ago. “How do you feel about watching a home movie?”

\+ + +

Ella let out a sigh and put a smile on her face, reaching for a pink colored construction paper of the family Y/N drew…

“Oh my. Isn’t this such a pretty picture, Monkey.” Ella complimented on the crayon drawing in a positive and cheerful tone like how the psychologist recommended. He said it was supposed to help create a calm and safe environment for children who might be afraid or unsure of how to cope with their internal emotions in a proper manner. A four year old who was just starting to understand that her father was dead and the recent move across the country to a foreign state, leaving the only home she ever knew and two best friend friends might cause a bit of stress.

Ella reached out and tucked a loose piece of hair behind Y/N’s ear when she politely mumbled a thank you like she was taught to do and continued drawing another picture. Sometimes Y/N would always ask why she was called Monkey. Ella would smile and say that she was her little monkey. Her daughter had so much energy in that tiny of body of hers and always seemed to get herself into places she had no idea how a four year old could get into. Ella knew one day Y/N wouldn’t want to be called by such a nickname. Probably when she went into middle school and started asking to wear makeup. A lump started to build in her throat at the thought of something so far into the future. She wondered if she would live to see the day her daughter graduate high school.

Ella looked down at the piece of construction paper to examine the picture a bit better. Y/N’s skills had improved greatly from the blobs and misshapen bodies she claimed were people. Her daughter was managing to get the concept down of human features such as heads and bodies with oversized torsos and sticks as arms and legs. Ella felt her brow furrow slightly when she stared at the picture. Y/N drew three people. A man, a young child and what appeared to be a woman. It took a second or so to realize the people in the drawing were of people she knew.

The man stood next to the small child, the both of them holding their stick arms and smiling. The woman was in the far back of the picture. Ella noticed the woman’s eyes were marked out with an X. She stared at the man to see his eyes were different. They were black dots, so was the little girl’s. Ella tried her hardest to contain her disturbance.

“Sweetheart,” Ella stopped her daughter from finishing her drawing. She looked at the half-done picture to see that it looked like it was supposed to be a biblical angel from the halo and wings. However on the bottom of the page she wrote bad in bold letters. Ella reached out and shuffled the paper to see what else her daughter worked on. She felt her breathing hitch in her throat when she saw a poorly drawn man. The color of his eyes were yellow. Beneath the picture Y/N wrote good. Ella showed the portrait to her daughter. “Did you draw our family?”

“Yeah,” Y/N said, nodding her head as she kicked her feet back and forth. When Ella asked who each of them were, her daughter pointed to the little girl as herself and the woman her mother. Ella pushed her luck and wondered why she was drawn with two X marks as her eyes. “‘Cause Daddy told me to do it. He says your time is almost up.”

Ella could feel her blood run cold at the way her daughter was speaking. She set down the paper back to the table and gave her daughter a serious look to give her the talk she had once before. “Now Y/N, I told you. Your father died when you were two years old. He can’t possibly be talking to you.” She said. “That’s why we moved here into this nice place. For a fresh start.”

“Not my daddy. My other dad. He says his name is Lucifer. He’s like God, that person Mrs. Wolfe always talks about.” Y/N said. Ella remembered the woman you were talking about. She was an old widow that lived a few doors down from their house. She was Y/N’s babysitter a few times when Ella needed to work late for school. She wondered if she put a few thoughts into her daughter’s head. But that was wishful thinking. “Lucifer says he’s my God. Because he wanted me created. He talks to me sometimes. And he wanted me to tell you he says thank you.”

“Thank you for what, honey?” Ella decided to keep going along with this little game her daughter was playing.

“For selling your soul to Azazel and making me be born. He says not worry. You did something good for him.” Y/N went on about details no four year old should know. Ella wanted to pinch herself. She was going crazy. That’s what was going on. She saw Rosemary’s Baby and The Omen while she was pregnant. Her guilt and grief were pulling tricks on her. “He can’t wait to meet me. He says I’m going to be a sophisticated young lady.”

Y/N always had trouble pronouncing sophiscated. It was a word no four year old should be able to say. Her daughter grew a smile at the sight of her mother trying to hide her horror. “Y/N,” Ella managed to find her voice. “What do you mean?”

“He likes it when I do the bad stuff. Like hurt people really bad. Because they deserve it.” Y/N said, suddenly changing her tone of voice and demeanor. Ella watched as he daughter shifted into that dark, bad attitude that did horrible things. “He said they’re all gonna suffer. And nobody can stop it.”

Ella nearly jumped out of her skin in fright when Y/N grabbed the new box of crayons and threw them across the room, as if she was attempting to hit the mirror. She failed by a longshot. But Y/N seemed satisfied at what she had done. She sat back in her seat and stared straight ahead. Ella watched as her daughter, in the blink of an eye, returned back to her normal self.

Y/N was quiet for a few moments before she reached up an arm, as if she was looking for her crayons. She scanned the table to see they were nowhere to be seen. She then looked down at the ground to see there was a few lying at her feet. When he looked farther down the room, she noticed the pile of broken crayons and empty box littering the floor. Ella could feel tears starting to form in her eyes when she saw her daughter’s sweet, such an innocent face staring at her with a confused expression.

“Mommy, who broke all my new crayons?”

\+ + +

The screen went to black after the video played out. You shut off the TV and turned your gaze over to Cas, who had remained silent through the recording of your first therapy session. He examined the drawings you made when you were four years old. While his expression remained neutral, his brow furrowed slightly as he tried to comprehend the different odd shapes that you said were people. You let out a nervous sigh and looked over at Josh. The both of you weren’t sure how Cas was going to handle your suspicion, it sounded ludercaious when you said it out loud.

“Now,” Cas looked up from the drawings after he managed to figure out what was so unsettling. No child had an imagination like this. “What exactly happened when you were younger? You think—”

“I think it has to do with my health. When I was a kid I had this condition where I’d blackout at random. Thought it was nothing serious. It only lasted for a few minutes before I came back around. The only scary thing was I had short-term memory loss and I didn’t know when it was going to happen. I thought it was nothing for the longest time…until I saw this.” You explained the story to the angel as you nodded your head to the TV screen from the video you watched with him. “The things I was saying, no four year old is smart enough to know about that kind of stuff.”

“I do agree it’s very strange.” Cas said as he set down the papers back for the table. He decided to amuse your idea, wondering what you were thinking it could have been. “You think there’s a reason why you did all of those things?”

“Yeah. I mean, this is a shot in the dark. But I think it was my demon side taking control, making me say all those freaky things. Maybe Lucifer had some weird connection at the time and told me to say all those things.” You guessed. That’s all that you could do at this point. Guess your suspicions as to what made you turn into Damien and see what stuck to the wall. But that wasn’t the reason why you asked Cas to be here. You bit your bottom lip again as your fingers nervously intertwined together from what you were about to admit. “It’s been happening again—the blackouts, I mean. Not Lucifer talking to me.”

“You are human, Y/N. Chances are you inherited a disorder passed down to you.” Cas said. You didn’t know why, but you found his attitude about what you were admitting all too casual. Like it was some fixable problem. “You should have come to me sooner. I could simply heal—”

“No, no. It’s not that easy.” You backed away from the angel before he could attempt and place two fingers against your forehead to cure what you from whatever what was wrong with you, or at least that’s what you were lead to believe. You let out a sigh and rubbed your eyes when Cas gave you perplexed look from your reaction. “Look, there’s a reason why I’m telling you two and not the boys. I…” You hesitated to even entertain the idea, but you had to. You slumped your shoulders forward and let out a sigh, coming right out with it. “I think I came back from hell the same. Do you remember the deal I made with Crowley?”

“Yes. Angel grace in exchange for your loyalty to him.” Cas said. “But what does—”

“I may not have told you the entire deal.” You cut off the angel, your lips stretching into a slightly nervous smile when Cas realized what you were saying. His reaction was how you expected it to be, concern with a touch of anger from what kind of trouble you got yourself into. “There was just one small detail I forgot to mention. Crowley didn’t just give me the grace. He offered to give me the ability of being a demon—but with human emotions. And I said yes.”

“I don’t understand.” Cas said in a serious tone. You swallowed slightly when the angel realized you had dropped a serious problem in his lap that you were telling him over a year later. You felt like kicking you past self for being so stupid. “Why would you do such a thing? I thought you wanted to be human.”

“I did! But it felt so good to have power…I wanted to keep feeling like that forever. To feel in control of myself again. My entire life people have tried to tell me what to do. You have no idea how hard it was for me to do the right thing and not go dark side. I thought it was going to solve my problems.” You said. You let out a heavy sigh and shut your eyes, knowing it only caused more trouble than it was worth. “When Crowley brought me back, I don’t think it was just to keep his ass safe and hunt a few Alphas. I think that son of a bitch brought be back as a half demon so I could lend him a helping hand in torturing all those monsters. I know him. If he doesn’t have to get his hands dirty, he won’t. And it explains why Eve’s coming for me.”

“What?” Cas asked, suddenly growing concerned at hearing such a thing. He knew what she was capable of. And to know he was going after one of his friends made the situation become even more complicated than it needed to be. “Why is this the first time I’m hearing about this?”

“You’re not exactly the easiest person to get ahold of. And it’s not like this is the first time a monster is coming after me.” You said, not showing a bit of fear from the idea of something old as Eve, the mother of all who you hunted wanted some sweet revenge. “But the thing that worries me is that if Crowley did pull me out to help, I don’t remember anything. And I’ve felt completely fine after I got out of Hell.”

Cas grew eerily silent from what you told him. You watched him closely as he unpacked the load you dropped on him. His reaction was what you feared, doubt. “I can’t say I agree with your theory. I know Crowley. Purgatory was a location he was desperate to find. He would jeopardize it by working with someone who wanted him dead. Your blackouts are likely caused from a hereditary condition. Perhaps due to stress. I can reassure you Y/N that you are without a doubt human.” Cas reassured you. For some reason you had trouble believing him. “If you want me to be completely thorough I could touch your soul. But you know from witnessing the process I performed on Sam it would cause you excruciating pain.”

“No thanks. I get cramps once a month. That’s enough pain for me.” You sarcastically shot down the plan as you subconsciously rubbed your stomach. You grew silent for a moment as you found yourself staring off into space with a look on your face like you’re holding something back. It causes Cas to wonder what caused this entire ordeal to unfold in the first place. So you tell him. “About a week after Dean got back into hunting with us, we took this vampire case. Dean got turned into a vamp by Sam. This was when he was still soulless. I purposely got myself caught so I could make sure he wouldn’t feed. Everything looks like it’s going fine. Dean’s getting ready to pump this six hundred year old creep with dead man’s blood, but then he gets a whiff of it. The entire plan backfires on us. All hell breaks loose…and I black out.”

You subconsciously clenched your jaw at what you did. You looked over to see that Cas is listening to your story. “When I come back around, I’m covered head to toe in blood, feeling like i just ran a marathon. Dead bodies were all around the place. I mean there was dozens upon dozens of them all around the place. Dean’s congratulating me on a job well done. I stand there smiling, trying my hardest not to freak out because I didn’t remember killing a single vamp. Not one.”

“Is anger what triggers these episodes?” Cas asked, trying to get more information on this so he could help figure out a solution. You shook your head, saying it wasn’t the cause of most of them. “Has there been any other one where you blacked out due to rage?”

“A few weeks back we were hunting this parasite thing. Eve cooked it up just for us. Thing would crawl into someone’s ear and make them a complete psycho. It got into Samuel and he tried to corner me. Told me all sorts of stuff. All I remember is him asking me if I really thought Crowley brought me out of Hell without something extra.” You said, retelling the words that came out of Samuel’s mouth. You shifted your footing as you placed your hands on the back of your chair, remembering the awful things that bastard told you. “When it got into Bobby, he went on about the torture.”

“As your friend, I can reassure you that everything is perfectly fine. You aren’t a demon. Eve is probably trying to make all of us feel intimidated by targeting you.” Cas said. “She probably made up the torture because she knew it would get you and the boys more tempted to track her down without knowing what might kill her. But she doesn’t know we have the Phoenix ash. All we need to do is locate her and kill her.”

You believed every word the angel said because you thought it was the truth. And you had no reason not to think it was anything else. You let out a breath you had been holding over these past few weeks and grew a smile at the reassurance. You weren’t crazy. You weren’t a monster. “Thanks, Cas. I know you’ve been busy with fighting with Raphael and can’t always help us.”

“Of course. I know you would have done the same thing for me.” Cas said. “That’s what friends do for one another. And I’m sorry I haven’t been here more for you.”

“Cas, you’ve got a lot on your shoulders right now. The boys and I understand. Seriously. You have done so much for us over the past few years, I don’t think I’ve ever said thank you.” You said. Cas grew silent as he turned his head away from you. You broke out into a smile, thinking he was growing bashful at how you were opening up to him in such a way he wasn’t used to. Never did you think it would be because of guilt. “You two are my best friends. In ways nobody could be. Josh, I put your life through Hell and yet you’re still here. And Cas…out of anybody, you have been there for me. You understand what it’s like to rebel. Thank you. From the bottom of my heart.”

You remained smiling as the two men found themselves growing tense at heartfelt moment neither one of them deserved. As you gotten deeper into your emotions, sniffling as you wiped your eye with your finger. “My, my. What a sweet Hallmark moment. I think my black heart grew three sizes.” Cas found himself looking back over at you when he heard your tone of voice change into more of a cold, sarcastic bite. Your smile dropped as you blinked, your eyes changing to the empty and dark color as the soul crammed in your body. “Now that chick flick moment is over, how are you?”

Cas narrowed his eyes at the demon that shouldn’t have been able to come out. You had a suspicious feeling that you took him by surprise by the look on his face. You smiled and blinked, turning your eyes back to normal, but the demon side of you remained. “I’ll tell you how I’m doing. I’m bored, Castiel. Bored of sitting here like a good girl. How’s that whole progress of getting me the hell out of here going?”

“We’re working on it.” Cas said. You narrowed your eyes on him as you crossed your arms over your chest.” Josh has been looking for the spell for a few months. We think we’re getting close.”

“Is that true, handsome?” You turned your gaze over to the young man sitting at the table. Your human side had asked him for help a month ago to help track down Eve. Josh barely lifted his gaze up from the table to make eye contact with you. He nodded his head and said that he might have found a lead. “‘Might.’ Well, it ain’t a yes. But it isn’t a no. Since you two are trying so hard, I’ll throw you bone. You’ve got until a week after this Eve bitch is dead to get me the hell out of here and get me a new body. One that I can control on my own.”

“That’s impossible—”

“Nothing impossible if you don’t try really, really hard. Do as I say,” You warned the two men as you reached inside your back pocket to pull out a small knife that the human side of you carried around for safety. “Or I’ll do what I should have done in the first place.”

“You should know that won’t hurt me.” Cas said. His tone of voice changed into a superior one. He honestly thought you were that stupid. You let out a chuckle and smiled.

“Don’t get so cocky. This isn’t for me. It’s for me. I’ll say it one more time for the two of you to understand. Find me a new body, or I’ll kill your little friend inside here. I can deal with a stab wound on the body if you two don’t move. Remember…one week.” You left them with a warning and a deadline that wasn’t very long. Before either one of them could ask for more time, you returned back to your normal self, who had no clue what just went down. You looked over at the clock and winced. “Crap. I gotta go. Dean’s gonna kill me if I don’t get back with the Impala.”

You shuffled around a few papers back into the folder and tidied up a bit, Josh managed to find his voice and said that he would take care of it. You gave him a smile and mumbled a thank you. Cas watched as you grabbed your jacket from the chair and headed out the door, shouting a goodbye to the two men before slamming the door shut. The angel looked down at Josh.

“Are you any closer to finding it?” Cas asked.

“Yeah. I am, actually.” Josh said, nodding his head. His lips stretched into a smirk as he told the angel the location of where he found a possible clue. “I think it might be in Samuel’s office.”

\+ + +

bout a week passed since you and the boys got back from the Wild West with possibly the only thing that could stop Eve once and for all. You had spent the past few months researching and chasing after her monsters to stop the bitch before things could get worse. But before you could have a face to face with Mommy Dearest, you were facing a few problems. You needed to find a way to get the ash inside the monster and figure out where she was holding up. Sam and Bobby were working on getting a location while Dean spent the morning in Bobby’s basement teaching you had to make shotgun rounds the old fashioned way. 

You’d seen the process a few times before while he and Sam made salt rounds for hunts. Dean decided to kill two birds with one stone; he’d teach you the simple process while using you as a helping hand while dealing with a dangerous substance like phoenix ash. You listened intently as he explained the process of sliding in a plastic piece into the shell and lightly hammering it down so it would stay in place. Dean used a screwdriver and tapped it a few times so it’d be secure. You handed him a metal funnel and watched as he took about a tablespoon of the ash and poured into the shell. No more, no less. The last step was hammering down the top to the shell and placing it with the rest. It didn’t seem that hard.

The two of you got down four bullets with almost no problem. You were trying to be careful with the limited supplies you had when you noticed it was going rather quick from the few bullets that you made. If you ran out, you were screwed. It wasn’t like you could go back in time and get more of the stuff. When Dean let you have a turn to make one, were cautious with every move you made. But accidents happened. You reached out to fill up the small bowl with more of the ash when you ran out. As you poured in a small amount like Dean instructed, you accidentally poured out too much, making enough for four more rounds go all over the workbench.

“Damn it! Godda—“

You bit your bottom lip in frustration to keep yourself from spewing out curse words left and right from what you did. The older Winchester took your profanities as a sign that you were hurt. He grabbed your wrist and inspected the skin, thinking you were suffering from severe burns from what happened. When you asked him an annoyed tone what he was doing, he brought it to your attention that you just poured phoenix ash on your skin. Before you could roll your eyes from what you thought was going to be a lecture about being more careful, he reminded you this was from a creature who could turn someone into bone and ash from a simple touch.

You and Dean exchanged a troubled look from what you discovered. You were out half of your supplies and the stuff didn’t even tickle when it made contact with your skin. Nevertheless, it didn’t stop you. You continued on making one more bullet with the ash that you could salvage. Remembering what you learned from Dean, you went through the process again, this time, making your very first bullet. Hopefully the very one that would kill Eve.

“Hey.” You looked over your shoulder for a second when you heard Sam’s voice and a few pairs of feet coming down the basement steps. You turned back to your work when Sam and Bobby approached the workbench to see the progress of things. “How you two doing?”

“Five shells, that’s how we’re doing.” Dean said, updating his brother on the very slow progress.

“Well, you know,” Sam said, offering an offering on a more positive side of things. You were glad your back was turned to the younger man. He wouldn’t notice you mocking him at his chipper attitude while you worked on hammering the top of the shell and sliding it with the others. “It’s a hell of a lot more than we had last week.”

“Maybe.” You mumbled. You dropped the hammer and turned around in your spot so you were now leaning your back against the wooden tabletop to face the two other hunters. Bobby gave you a slightly confused look, wondering what you meant. “Meaning I had myself a little mishap a few minutes ago and, well, here, look.” You reached over to dip a finger into the powder and rub it against your forearm, taking the two hunters by surprise, in the exact same way Dean reacted. They expected some sort of pained response, but nothing. “This stuff is supposed to burn the bejesus out of Eve. Doesn’t even give me a sunburn. Not even a tickle.”

“The lore says it works.” Bobby said. You didn’t have a doubt in your mind that the man had took the time to look up a few other sources to make sure that it was right. You wiped your skin clean of the stuff on your jeans and and crossed your arms over your chest.

“That’s always reliable.” Dean muttered underneath his breath.

“Well, you know what? Maybe it’s like iron or silver, you know?” Sam said. Not all weaknesses that hurt monsters worked necessarily be harmful on humans. You listened to the possible theory. It sounded good on paper, but it was probably too good to be true if you were to take what luck you had and use the ash on Eve. “Hurts them, not us.”

“Maybe, but a fat load of good it does us ‘till we find the bitch.” Dean said. He got up from the stool he’d been sitting on all morning and walked over across the basement to grab a rag and wipe his hands clean of the ash.

“I’m looking,” Bobby promised the older Winchester. It’s what he had been doing all week with no such luck. Not even a breadcrumb to point all of you in some direction. Lucky for the four of you, you had friends in higher places to lend a helping hand. “But I’m thinking maybe it’s time you made a call.”

Dean wondered for a moment who Bobby was talking about before he realized it was Cas, your friendly neighborhood angel you had seen just last week, without the boys knowledge. “Why’s it always gotta be me who makes the call, huh? It’s not like Cas lives in my ass. The dude’s busy.” The older WInchester said, taking a presumption that the angel wasn’t going to come to your beck and call once again. But never say never. You raised your brow slightly when you saw that Cas was standing right behind him, taking Dean by surprise as he backed away. “Cas, get out of my ass.”

“I was never in your—” Cas wasn’t sure what the older Winchester meant as he took the words a little too literally. You let out a sigh and shook your head as the two men narrowed eyes on one another. The angel finally getting that he had times this all wrong. “Have you made progress in locating Eve?”

“We were gonna ask you about that.” Bobby said, giving the angel the reason why he was here.

“No, I’ve looked, but she’s hidden from me.” Cas informed the four of you. “She’s hidden from all angels.”

“Of course she is.” You mumbled. You rolled your eyes at the impeccable bad luck you had on these kinds of things. “Why wouldn’t she be?”

“You know, what we really need is an inside man.” Sam suggested, speaking up with a possible idea that sounded a little weird. You furrowed your brow slightly, asking him what he meant. The last time he thought having someone going undercover to see how monsters lived he had his brother turned into a vampire. That was when he was soulless. His plan required help from a monster, but none of you were up for a bait. “Something with claws and sympathy.”

“Like a friendly monster?” Dean asked, wondering if that was what his brother was trying to get at. Sam shrugged his shoulders. “Those are in short supply these days, don’t you think?”

“Sure, but we’ve met one or two, right?” Sam wondered. You tried to think back of the long list of things you hunted over the years. Almost everything out there wanted to see you dead. But not all creatures were monsters. Some just wanted to survive. “So maybe we can find one.”

You had to admit, Sam’s plan sounded like a good one. Nobody asked to be born as something like a rougarou or a shapeshifter. You remembered a case a few years back to a man named Jack, who unfortunately had his life come to an end at the age of thirty after inheriting the supernatural disease from his father, gonna giving him a never ending dearie for human flesh. And you couldn’t forget a six month old shifter you and the boys named Bobby John. He was the cutest thing. You had honestly thought about raising the kid as your own when Samuel set the sleeping baby in your arms. He was so innocent. It made you realize creatures weren’t born as bloodthirsty monsters. It was their parents who shaped them that way.

It took a walk down memory lane to remember a friendly face that went against their natural instinct. When Cas knew who to look for, he was gone. You and the boys spent the next hour roaming around the basement trying to find something to do in order for time to pass. You spent a few minutes of the hour silently staring at your phone, texting someone the boys thought was on a plane back home. Josh was still in his motel room, wanting to wait until the Mother of All situation wrapped up before he felt comfortable enough to leave until he got to see you again. However long that would be.

You headed upstairs and found a book Bobby had lying around the place to keep you busy. You were about thirty pages in and sitting on the third to last step when you heard Cas come back with a face from a part of your life that felt like a lifetime ago. Lenore, possibly the only friendliest monster you had encountered, was alive and in the flesh. You slammed the book shut and stepped down to the basement floor. A smile spreading across your lips when she looked in your direction. However you could feel it slowly fading when you noticed her disheveled and dirty appearance. It seemed life hadn’t been very kind to a vampire who didn’t feed off humans.

Lenore stood there with a frantic and nervous expression as her eyes darted back and forth at the four hunters surrounding her. She looked like she hadn’t seen a good washing in weeks. She was twitchy and frantic like a trapped mouse, trying to find a way out of here before she could hurt either one of you. Sam stepped up to the woman and softly spoke her name with a warm smile. Lenore darted past him and made a beeline across the staircase, trying to find any sort of shelter. She found herself cornered with no way out when all of you circled around her. 

“Wait, wait. Wait. Hey, Lenore, stop.” Sam showed that he wasn’t here to hurt her as he slowly approached her with his hands up. She stood exactly where she was, but you could tell she was still terrified. “Look, we’re happy you’re here.”

Lenore was a vampire who had a small nest of others who didn’t feed off humans. She kept her nose clean but still found trouble when a ruthless hunter named Gordon Walker came into town, deadset on taking out the entire flock of vampires for just who they were. He had Lenore in his clutches, having fun torturing her with deadman’s blood and the sweet smell of fresh blood, but she refrained. She remained true to herself. You and Sam made sure she safely went on her way to a new town to start over again.

“Been a long time.” You said to the woman in a friendly voice. You gave her another smile as an attempt to make her feel more comfortable. “Do you remember us?”

“I remember.” Lenora said. “Your hunter friend almost killed me.”

“Well if it makes you feel any better, he turned into a vampire and I chopped his head off.” Sam informed the creature of Gordon Walker’s karma that bit him in the ass twofold. You chuckled at the memory of how the younger Winchester brutally took down Gordon after the hunter spent over a year hunting the two of you for reasons that were thankfully not a problem anymore. 

“With razor wire.” Dean couldn’t help himself but add that detail into the conversation, impressed at what his little brother did. “Wicked.” Sam looked over at the man to give him a deadpan stare, wondering if this was really the time to discuss barbaric beheadings in front of a vampire that might have been your only shot at trying to find out where he was hiding out. Dean took the cue.

“Well, that’s something. What’s going on?” Lenore asked all of you. “Why am I here?”

“Well, um, that’s Cas. He’s our friend.” Sam pointed to the angel standing across from her. Cas didn’t smile or wave. He stood there, staring at the vampire with a blank expression. To say he had underdeveloped social skills would have been being polite. “And we need to talk to you. About Eve.”

“Eve?” Lenore broke out in a smirk and quietly scoffed at the mention of a name that didn’t seem to settle well with her. “I have nothing to say about Eve.”

“You sure about that?” Dean asked the woman.

“I’m trying to stay away from her.” Lenore defended herself before either one of you could cast judgement on her. “Believe me.”

“Where’s your nest?” You asked.

“Gone. They couldn’t fight it anymore.” She said. You furrowed your brow slightly from what she meant by that. “It’s her voice, in our heads. What it does to us. So they left, started killing again.”

Mommy was making all her children go back to their natural instincts or turn to the dark side for the fun of it. You decided to give Lenore the benefit of the doubt. She didn’t look like she had fed recently on any humans. And from the looks of it, anything at all. “But not you.” 

“Don’t look so impressed. I was hiding in a basement, not exactly Club Med.” Lenore said, giving the truth about her grim reality. She thought it was sort of funny to see you and the boys try your hardest to have some faith in her during these dark and brutal times. “You don’t know how hard it is not to give in. Everyone gives in.”

“All right, so this psychic two-way you got,” Dean spoke up, wanting to hear more about this little connection Lenore mentioned that he thought all of you could use for your advantage. “That mean you know where Mom’s camped out?”

“You’ve got to be kidding me. You want me to tell you where she is?” Lenore questioned all of you. She realized that was the reason why all of you tracked her down and forced her out of her hiding spot. Lenore thought it was stupid, and downright suicidal going up against something like Eve. “You do know she could be listening to us right now. I might as well be a video camera. What are you thinking?”

“So we don’t have the element of surprise.” Bobby said. The hunter didn’t seem fazed about the news, it was to be expected. You were prepared as you would ever be. “We’re still going in.”

“You’re crazy.” Lenore whispered, shaking her head at what she was hearing. “I can’t help you.”

“Can’t or won’t?” You asked the woman. Lenore didn’t answer your question. She chose to avert her gaze to the ground. You let out a quiet sigh when you started to feel empathy for her mental struggle about doing the right thing when there was a voice in your head, whispering and urging you to do the wrong thing. “Look, it’s clear that you still give a crap. You don’t want to kill and you don’t want this whole planet dead.”

Lenore looked up and stared at you for a moment. “You actually believe you can stop her?”

“She’s not the first scary monster I went up against. Just tell us where she is.” You said. You weren’t falling for the way Lenora was making out her mother. It was a weak attempt at making you feel scared. But you had faced bigger, worse creatures than Eve. But you knew Lenora was coming from a place of sencrity. She didn’t want you to get into a situation you couldn’t handle. You helped her be safe, she wanted to do return the favor. “Please.”

Lenora thought for a few seconds about not giving it to you. In the end she did the right thing like you knew how she would. “Grants Pass, Oregon.” She said, giving you the location. “And now she knows you’re coming.”

“Well, let’s go see.” Bobby said, wanting to make sure your vampire friend wasn’t lying.

“Hold on. I didn’t tell you this out of the goodness of my heart. I need something.” Lenore said. She approached the younger Winchester when he asked her what. The vampire begged for the one thing she couldn’t do herself, and that a hunter knew better than anything. “Kill me.”

“Look, we’ll lock you down till this is over.” Dean reassured the woman no harm would come to her. He thought this was because she was afraid what Mommy might do after one of her own children ratted her out to a group of hunters who were trying to take her down. “Witness protection. You’ll be safe.”

“You don’t get it. It’s not about that.” Lenore said. “I’m dangerous. I hear her voice all the time.”

“You’re not like the rest of them.” Sam tried to give the woman the benefit of the doubt. He had seen her resist the urge once before, he thought she had the strength to do it again.

“I’m exactly like them. I fed. I couldn’t help it.” Lenore admitted, destroying the innocent persona you had thought she had this entire time. And she was only making it worse on herself when she went on more about the grisly details of her murder of an innocent life as she smelled your blood, only tempting her as she slowly approached the man. “The girl couldn’t have been more than sixteen, Sam. I’ll do it again. I can’t stop. Not anymore. You have to. Please.”

You and the boys felt it would be wrong to grant Lenore the wish of death. She tried so hard for years not to feed off of someone. While she did kill an innocent child however long ago, it wasn’t her who was to blame, but the voice inside her head leading her down the wrong path. You had been there before. You thought the right thing to do was lock Lenore down until she could properly think for herself. But not everyone decided that would be the best action. Some decided to go along with the woman’s want.

The sudden burst of light coming from in front of you caused you to shield your eyes. Lenore got what she wanted. Cas took mercy on the vampire and gave her a way out. When you heard her body hit the ground, you slowly opened our eyes after adjusting back to the dim light to see Lenore’s dead body lying on the ground, her eyes burned out of her skull after what Cas done. You were a bit taken back at the gruesome way she went out. The angel didn’t seem bothered.

“We needed to move this along.”

\+ + +

The four of you gathered all sorts of supplies and weapons you might need for the fight against Eve and all her little monsters. You were prepared to deal with the worst outcome when you got to Oregon later in the afternoon. Vampires, shifters and everything in between were probably roaming around town, just waiting for you to make your grand appearance after Lenore told her mother all of you were showing up. You weren’t the least bit scared of Mommy Dearest and the threat she had lingering over your head. Eve was supposed to be a big, bad and old monster. If she had to resort to lying in order to make you feel scared, she was going to be easier to take down than you thought. And it helped that you had an angel friend with a little extra something.

Cas easily transported you, the boys and Bobby to Oregon in the matter of seconds. You went from standing in the middle of the library to the sidewalk on a sunny and pleasant afternoon. Not a single thing appeared to be out of sorts. You furrowed your brow slightly in concern when you noticed a few kids riding down the street and enjoying themselves. When you went into town where a monster terrifying as Eve was hiding, things tended to be more…cut off from the rest of the world. No chance to escape and pinning townspeople against one another. Maybe it was more of a demon thing. Maybe Eve was laying low, only coming out when you showed up.

“Well, I was expecting more Zombieland, less Pleasantville.” Dean said. Even he found the town and its quiet surroundings a little bit strange. You examined the streets and corner shops to see everything looked peaceful and normal. People continued on with their day, acting as if it was just another one.

“Just because it looks quiet don’t mean it is.” Bobby said. “Especially if she’s got a clue we’re coming.”

“Yeah, well, if she is here, I’m glad we got Smitey McSmiterton on our squad.” Dean acknowledged your very powerful friend when he pointed his finger at the angel. Cas didn’t notice. He was lost in his own world, probably keeping an eye out for the bitch. “All right. Where do we start?”

“I’m gonna need a computer.” Bobby said.

You scanned the area to see where the five of you could hide out for a while and see what kind of trouble Eve had been brewing up since rolling into town. When you spotted a diner across the street, it looked like an inconspicuous place. “And I could use something to eat.” You mumbled. Your gaze moved away from the diner to see a few strange looks were shot in your direction, causing you to roll your eyes. “What? Can’t fight evil on an empty stomach.”

The five of you headed to the diner and got yourselves a booth in the back. You sat with Sam in one side and across from a frustrated Bobby as he tried to work the device you gave him. You snickered quietly into your cup of coffee as you watched the older hunter continue to struggle at working the touch screen. Cas sat at the end of the table in between the boys, silent.

“All right. I finally got the police database. No thanks to this.” Bobby said, holding up the device that had been more trouble than it was worth. The old man would have settled for a laptop, but you chose not to carry it for the convenience of this option being better and lighter. “I asked for a computer.”

“It is a computer.” Sam said, pausing his chewing to tell the older hunter it was exactly what it was.

“No,” Bobby told the younger Winchester. “A computer has buttons.”

“Technically it’s an iPad. And it does have a few buttons. Right there and there.” You felt like being a smart ass. You reached out and pointed at the small home button and the others that functioned as the lock screen and volume. Bobby didn’t find it the least bit funny. You managed to hide your smile as you popped another piece of your food in your mouth and chewed. “Find anything?”

“Oh. Nickel-and-dime stuff, nothing weird. Basically dead end.” Bobby said, skimming an article he found about a meth lab operation busted by the cops. “You think Vampira was lying?”

“I’ll search the town.” Cas said. “Give me a moment.”

You nodded your head in a nonchalant manner at what you heard the angel say. You let him do this thing of vanishing into thin air and returning a few seconds later. You took a sip of your coffee again and got another forkful of your food as you watched Bobby try his hardest to work the tablet. You rolled your eyes at his struggling and dropped your fork to the plate, trading it for the electronic device to get things moving faster. It took all of three seconds before you typed in a way to get into a database someone like you shouldn’t be snooping around in. You looked up from the screen and to the end of the table to see the angel was still in his exact spot.

“Cas,” You quietly whispered so nobody else in the diner could hear you. “We can still see you.”

“Yeah, I’m still here.” The angel informed you.

“Okay, well, you don’t have to wait on us. You—” Dean was about to reassure the angel that he could go off for however long he pleased while the four of you finished up your meal. He found himself falling silent as he watched Cas try to teleport out of the restaurant. You slowly looked up from the screen again to see his eyes were shut and his brow furrowed tightly together as he concentrated to perform a task that you should have been simple as breathing was to a human. “Well, now it just looks like you’re pooping.”

“Something’s wrong.” Cas mumbled.

“What,” You were unsure if you wanted the answer you were going to get from the question you asked the angel. “Are you stuck?”

“I’m blocked.” The angel suspected. Cas tried one more time to teleport of the restaurant, but no matter how hard he tried, he remained where he was. Your face dropped slightly when you realized what this meant, and how badly it was going to be when you faced off against Eve. “I’m powerless. Something in this town is…it’s affecting me. I assume it’s Eve.”

“So wait.” Dean said, wanting to get this situation straight. “Mom’s making you limp?”

“Figuratively, yes.” Cas said. He knew humans used the term for other unpleasant situations when men couldn’t perform a task. You asked the angel how this could happen, taking the presumption he was more powerful than Eve. At least equal. Maybe all of you underestimated her. She did create every little monster you ever hunted. Making an angel lose his mojo was probably her way of showing off. “I don’t know, but she is.”

“Oh, well that’s great.” Dean grumbled. “Because without your power, you’re just a baby in a trench coat.”

You found Dean’s insult a little weird. It hadn’t been that long ago Cas lost his ability to function as a normal angel, making him feel useless. Now he was facing the exact same problem now. You noticed the angel grew silent as he shook his head, averting his gaze straight to the window. You knew he was trying his hardest, and knowing that he couldn’t provide the support that he wanted put a damper on the mood. “I think you hurt his feelings. You should apologize.”

“You know what I think? I think should do what you do best, Nancy Drew.” Dean said, nodding his head to the tablet you were holding. “FInding all things creepy and crawly since Father of Time doesn’t know how to work the damn computer.”

“iPad.” You corrected the man. You returned your gaze back down to the screen when Dean tossed you an annoyed glare. You searched through the site until you found something oddly suspicious. You read through the article to see if it was your kind of odd. It wasn’t enough to raise a red flag, but it was better than a quiet town. “Huh. I got something here, maybe. Had to go federal go to get it. Call went out from the local office to the CDC last night.”

“About what?” Sam asked. 

“A Dr Silver called in an illness he couldn’t identify. Patient’s a twenty-five year old, African-American.” You clicked on the screen a few more times to pull up the photo I.D of the young man. You turned the tablet around so the men could get a good look at your possible victim’s face. “Name’s Ed Bright.”

“Well that’s not much to go on.” Dean said. You shrugged your shoulders at not much other information you could give him at the time. It was a lead, and it was better than anything else you had in months. The older Winchester knew. “So beggars can’t be choosers, right? I get it. Alright, let’s finish up.”

You placed the tablet back down onto the table and reached for your cup of coffee, drinking the last of it before deciding who was going to follow the few leads you had. There was something going on here. Maybe Ed Bright was Patient Zero. You didn’t know much about Eve, but if her plan was like the last end of the world situation, they liked to start with a small town to test out their little experiment to see if it worked. And if you weren’t fast enough at stopping her, things were going to get worse from here on out.

\+ + +

You and Dean decided to pay a visit to the doctor to see what you could learn about this disease that had him stumped, Cas tagged along after Sam and Bobby went on their way to check out the doctor’s home. You were all set on using a couple fakes badges to see what he could tell you about he discovered. However you found a damper in your plan as you approached closer to the office to see an older woman was locking up for the day. The three of you didn’t let that stop you from this situation. You approached her with a weak and nervous smile, deciding to go for another plan to get some answers.

“Excuse me. Hi. Uh, is Dr. Silver in today?” You asked her. You pointed over to Cas and made up a little white lie so you could get yourselves inside. “My friend is very sick.”

“I have a, uh…’ The angel trailed off for a second as he tried to think of an illness. You inhaled a quiet breath of frustration from the symptoms he decided to use. “Painful burning sensation.”

“Oh, well, he’s out.” The woman said. She gave the angel a bit of troubled look before back to you and apologized for the inconvenience with a friendly smile. “Sorry.”

“Do you know where he is?” Dean asked, thinking you might be able to catch him somewhere else.

“He hasn’t called in.” She said. You found her answer a bit strange to hear a doctor play a day of hookie after having a patient with an unidentified illness. Something had to be going on here. As the woman was about to walk away, she looked over at Cas to give some free medical advice to help with his itching. “You might wanna find yourself some ointment.”

You mumbled a thank you and smile for her help before she headed to her car. You friendly expression dropped when she was out of sight and you looked over at the two men standing next to you. “What kind of doctor calls the CDC and then goes AWOL the very next day?” Dean wondered. A bad one. Or one that was trying to hide a secret. He scanned the street to see it was pretty much empty, no wandering eyes would notice if you slipped yourselves inside the office. “Let’s have a look, shall we?”

You followed behind Dean as he slipped himself to the entrance of the doctor’s office. As Dean started to work on picking the lock, you looked over your shoulder every once in a while, making sure nobody would catch the three of you breaking and entering. It was all of ten seconds before Cas began to grow irritated of the waiting process he wasn’t used to. If Cas had his abilities he would have been able to pop the three of you in and out without a problem. But here he stood like a normal human being, discovering he had very little patience.

“Is this gonna to take a long time?” Cas wondered. You found yourself looking over at the angel and giving him a slightly annoyed glare from his question. Dean stopped for a moment to roll his eyes before returning back to working on picking the lock. You moved your gaze away from Cas and to the scenery behind him, which wasn’t much. But as your eyes dropped down to the ground, you found yourself spotting a dark dot on the ground. You stepped behind the angel and reached down to touch it, wondering what it might be. “What is it?”

“Call me crazy,” You stood up straighter and showed them the tip of your finger that was stained in a sticky red substance you were all too familiar with. “But that’s gotta be blood.”

You looked around at the ground to see there were small droplets leading to another door that appeared to be a shed with a lock. You tested your luck and lightly pushed on the door, but it came as no surprise when it was locked. Dean decided that he wasn’t going to waste time in picking the lock when he could simply break the door down. He stepped inside first after doing so to discover something gruesome none of you were expecting. As you leaned over his large frame, your eyes wandered down to what appeared to be a clear plastic tarp and duct tape. You had seen enough crime shows in your life to know that wasn’t a good sign.

Dean approached slowly and bent down to move away the tarp to figure out what was hiding underneath. What he found was a twist you didn’t expect to find. You might not have found the doctor, but you found the corpse of his last patient, Ed Bright. Dean backed away when he noticed the poor kid looked like he had contracted something nasty. Cas noted that it was Ed, you nodded your head slowly, examining how his skin looked like it was almost…rotting, like it was peeling off. You grimaced slightly at the body, wondering what the hell was going on here.

“What kind of doctor calls the CDC then stashes the gooey corpse in his shed?” You thought out loud to yourself. You couldn’t help but notice the longer you looked at the body, the more it appeared like Ed was molting out of his skin…like how how a shapeshifter does.

“I don’t understand what’s happening here.” Cas said. That made two of you.

“Well, I know what thing about the body.” Dean mumbled. “We need some kerosene.”

You looked down at Ed once more and wondered not only what he had contracted, but what caused him to end up in the shed of a doctor who went as far to report this supposed illness before vanishing off the face of the earth afterwards. Something was going on here, and you were going to get to the bottom of it before someone else ended up like Ed.

\+ + +

You head a dead patient with an unidentified illness stashed in the shed of a missing doctor that was MIA since yesterday. All of these strange events unfolding at once were setting off red flags in your head. But not quite in the way you were hoping for. None of this seemed like it was Eve’s personal doing. And you didn’t think it was purely coincidental that in the same town Eve was staying in a doctor might have accidentally killed his patient while trying to diagnose what in the hell was wrong with him. Not to mention his attempt at covering up the evidence and skipping work the next morning. Maybe he ditched town. Maybe it was something much more..It had to be. You didn’t have many leads or answers to what was going on. So you had to keep following the lead you found to see where else it would take you.

Sam and Bobby swung around the doctor’s house to see that he wasn’t home, or his wife and two sons. The weird thing was that the car was still in the driveway, there was no sign of forced entry. Not even a single piece of clothing was missing. It was like the entire family vanished into thin air with him. Since Dr. SIlver had turned into a dead end, you decided to go with the next one you had, Ed Bright. Maybe your dead victim was holding out some important clues as to how his corpse ended up in the shed of a doctor who tried to diagnose him.

You sat in the passenger’s seat of some car Dean had hotwired and stole with Cas in the back. Since he was cut off from all his abilities, he was stuck being a human like the rest of you. The three of you were parked right outside of the house Ed shared with a few of his roommates after getting the address off of his ID. You didn’t see anything out of the ordinary from watching it for the past twenty minutes. When you heard an engine, you spotted a inconspicuous car pull up and park right across from the street you had been occupying. You lightly nudged Dean on the shoulder and got out from the car, the two men following in action when they saw Sam and Bobby coming your way.

“So we got a missing doctor and an oozy patient, huh?” Dean recapped the little strange events happening in town. While it wasn’t much, the plot was thickening from the more time you spent on this lead. Who knows what you were going to discover next. “Well, let’s go see what Ed’s roommates have to say.”

“Does Ed Bright have a brother?” Cas’ question made all of you look over at him with a slightly confused expression. You told him no and wondered why he wanted to know. The angel stared at the house from the corner of his eye and nudged his head to the window. “Then that’s not his twin.” 

You furrowed your brow slightly and followed his gaze to see what he spotted. If your eyes weren’t deceiving you, there was what appeared to be Ed Bright alive and in the flesh, standing in front of the window. While he was up and about, he didn’t look any better than his dead doppelgänger. Ed was violently coughing and fumbling to close the curtains. If you didn’t know any better you would have guessed he was sick with something. You took a wild guess that it wasn’t the flu. You put your money on whatever the dead Ed caught he passed it onto the same person posing as him. You watched as he managed to finally draw the curtains closed and slipped out of sight.

“So, what,” Sam wondered. “Shifter?”

“I don’t know what we’re looking at.” Bobby said, clueless as the rest of you.

“Okay. The boys and I are gonna go in.” You said, coming up with a plan of action. The only way you were going to get answers was to barge in there and ask Ed himself. You looked over at the older hunter and the angel as you reached a hand behind your back, feeling the outline of the loaded gun you’d been carrying since getting into town a few hours ago. “You two stay here, watch the door. Something comes out, shoot it.”

“Best guess, silver bullets.” Dean added out of precaution. If all of you were dealing with a shifter, it might be the only thing that would take it down.

“I’m fairly unpracticed with firearms.” Cas said. He hesitantly drew his hands away from the gun the older Winchester attempted to sneakily give him it before any bystanders could see. Dean stared at the angel with a look of disbelief from how he was acting. It wasn’t the first time Cas had used one, and from what Sam and Bobby said about the only time he had shot off one, he had a perfect aim.

“You know who whines?” Dean asked the angel a question, his answer referred back to the remark he made back at the diner. The hurt expression that crossed Cas’ face showed that he wasn’t the least bit amused at being called names. “Babies.”

“You know who bullies people? Dicks.” You retorted back to the older Winchester. Dean looked over at you when you slipped yourself into the conversation to give him a taste of his own crude behavior. You gave him a smile before turning your attention over to the angel. You patted Cas on the back, reassuring him that he’d be fine out here with Bobby. “Let’s go, boys.”

The three of you walked across the street and headed up the porch steps to the house Ed and his roommates lived in. Neither one of you decided to play it safe on this one. Dean approached the door first, but he didn’t feel knocking would have been appropriate for this. You tightened the grip around your gun when he stepped back and kicked the door right down and barged in with Sam following right behind him. All of you scanned the first floor, expecting the worst, but what you were greeted with was a sight a little more bizarre than what you saw in the doctor’s shed.

It seemed the Ed Bright doppleganger you saw in the window wasn’t the only copy. There were multiple versions of him around the place. And from the looks of it, all five of them were doing as well as the dead man you discovered earlier wrapped up in plastic. Every single of them was like a carbon copy; same clothes, same facial features, all of them dead and covered in blood. You’ve seen a lot of weird things in your life, but multiple dead shifters…or whatever the hell these poor bastards were, might have been on the top list of things. Right up there with a case you worked on where a little girl wished for a lifesize teddy bear. You had a feeling the disease that Dr. Silver couldn’t identify might be what caused all of this. There was one thing you and the boys could do before you could get sick.

“Okay,” You warned the boys to be cautious as you looked around the room filled with multiple dead bodies covered in their own blood, and from the looks of one guy, his skin was peeling off like how the Ed you found in the shed was doing as well. “Don’t touch anything.”

You thought everyone here was a goner, but it seemed there was one Ed still pulling through. Sam spotted the one Cas had seen in the window violently coughing again. He was sitting in a recliner chair, barely clinging on as he reached for something to take a swing. From the looks of it, he was trying to cure himself by drinking out of a flask of some hard alcohol. You had a small hunch it wasn’t doing much good for the man. The three of you headed over to him to see if he was all right and if he could explain the multiple copies of himself lying around the place.

“Hey, hey,” Sam crouched down to the man’s level and got his attention. Ed was lethargic at best. He coughed a few more times before he moved his gaze over to the younger Winchester. “Talk to us. What is this?”

“Hey, Ed. Ed,” You spoke the man’s name a few times in a louder voice to grab his attention again when he was distracted from the not feeling well part. And from his blood stained lips, probably trying to not die like the rest of his friends. “What’s going on?”

The man looked in your direction with a confused expression at hearing a name that wasn’t his own. “What? I’m not Ed.” He said in a strained voice. Your face dropped at his confession, being given yet another piece of information you didn’t seem coming. He managed to get that bit out before he leaned forward in his seat as his face scrunched up, a small grunt coming out. You could tell from looking at him he was in tremendous pain from whatever he infected. Sam found a wallet conveniently sitting on the end table next to him. The driver’s license showed a picture of a man the complete opposite of Ed—white, blonde, and named Todd Marshall. “What’s wrong with me?”

“Uh, nothing. You’re okay.” Sam lied straight through his teeth to help reassure the young man so he wouldn’t begin to panic. “We’re gonna get you help.”

“Let me ask you something. Do I—” Todd tried to ask a question. You could tell that it was painful for him to waste energy by speaking, but he forced himself to get the words out. “Do all of us—? Do we look like Ed?”

“What? No, no, no, of course not.” Dean reassured the man, thinking on his toes to make up yet another white lie. He didn’t really have the heart to tell Todd the truth that him and all his friends were exact replicas of Ed and dead. “You have a fever. You’re hallucinating.”

“Marshall. Marshall, hey, what happened here?” Sam asked. Todd wasn’t exactly in good health to help give answers to how him and his roommates ended up here. The man was more worried if he was going to die. “No. You’re not gonna die. Now, you need to talk to us. It’s important.”

Todd attempted to take another drink with his shaky grip around the metal flask, but one sip of the beverage and he accidentally choked, spitting it all over the place. You grimaced, trying your hardest not to show your discomfort. “Ed was feeling bad, so I took him to the doctor.” Todd managed to explain slowly. You leaned back when he began violently coughing again, his symptoms growing worse as he clutched a hand to his chest. “I think now we’re all sick.”

“You think?” Dean muttered underneath his breath ever so quietly.

“And before you got sick and before Ed got sick, did you do anything?” You asked the man, trying your hardest to get Todd to pay attention so he could answer your questions. But it was getting harder when he started to visibly shake more and tremble from the agonizing pain rushing through his body. “Did you go anywhere? I know it’s hard Todd, but I need you to focus for me.”

“I don’t know. Some bar.” Todd managed to give some better answer. You raised your brow and smiled at him, giving him some courage to keep going. You noticed his teeth were stained red, he was now coughing up more blood. “8th street, I guess.”

“8th street. Good. Now, did anything happen? Did you see anything? Did you meet anyone?” You continue to hound the poor sucker with questions, Todd couldn’t answer right away when he started up yet another coughing fit. “Look, an ambulance is on the way, okay?”

“A girl.” Todd weakly said. Dean repeated the answer and pressed for more details for a better description what this supposed girl looked like. “A girl in white.”

“Good. Okay. What did the girl in white do, Marshall? What did she do to Ed?” Dean tried to get Todd to answer a few more questions. But all that came out of his mouth was gasps of air as he leaned back in his seat, choking on his own blood that was starting to fill his lungs. “Marshall?”

Todd slumped forward to the arm rest after taking his last breath. You didn’t need to take a pulse to know he ended up like the rest. You let out a frustrated sigh from how this ended up. You might have gotten a place and a slight description of a girl, but it still didn’t feel like enough. You pushed yourself up to your feet and exited the house with the boys to join Bobby and Cas to tell them all about the strange events that unfolded.

“I don’t get it.” Dean stepped down the porch staircase last to join the rest of you to discuss what might be to blame for this. “A bunch of regular joes wake up shifters? What the hell?”

“Shifters usually run in families. This looks like an infection.” Bobby said. When he realized the three of you were exposed to the dead bodies and possible breeding ground of the infection, he cautiously asked, “Nobody touched nothing?”

You and the boys thought back to how Todd was coughing all over the place. He didn’t cover his mouth, which meant if this was a virus, the three of you could potentially be its next victim. You grimaced slightly at the thought of this being like the croatoan virus, only about a thousand times worse. “Well, I’m bathing in Purell tonight.” Dean muttered, suddenly feeling gross all over.

“So he said that they met a girl.” Sam said, bringing up a potential suspect Todd mentioned.

“It’s gotta be Eve.” You guessed who was to blame for this. You remembered the security footage you and the boys watched while working a case where a man murdered his entire family before forgetting the heinous act. The footage picked up a distorted and ugly face of a silhouette you guessed was a woman, who was dressed in a white dress. It was possibly the only footage of Eve after she set bait for you and the boys to pass along her message. If she was in this town, she was causing some trouble for you to find.

“But why would she do this?” Cas asked, knowing she was capable of creating monsters strong and powerful creatures. If she wanted to make herself protected disposable bodies, she was doing it all wrong.

“Mommy monster.” Bobby speculated. “Make more.”

“No, Cas has got a good point.” Dean agreed with the angel from the point he made. “If she’s gonna make a shifter army, why make one that’s sick, gooey and dying?”

Bobby let out a sigh from the lack of answers he could provide, “Add that to the pile of crap that don’t make sense.”

“So should we hit the bar?”

\+ + +

Ed might have been Patient Zero, but you might have found the place where all of this started. There was only one bar on 8th Street, a sports bar that looked like it was closed from the lack of lit up sign and locked doors. You found that a little odd, considering the time of day it was. The boys managed to break down the double doors without much effort. When you all stepped into the bar area, you discovered a sight all too gruesome for you to fathom. The entire place looked like it had been flipped upside down, dead bodies scattered around the place and with broken furniture and trashed floors littered with food. All of you made the journey inside, being diligent you wouldn’t step on a dead body. However it felt like it would be impossible considering how many of them were.

“Well, the sheriff’s a mook, but still,” Bobby had a run in with the law just before all of you met up again. He mentioned that the guy didn’t seem like the sharpest tool in the shed. You winced at how badly this place looked the more you inspected. These people didn’t die peacefully, from the amount of blood on them and spilled on the floor, it was pretty painful. “You’d think he’d notice this many missing folks.”

No matter where you looked or turned, there was a dead body lying at your feet. You found a small space in the middle of the room that was somewhat clear. You decided to stand for a few moment to take in what might have happened here. Cas placed a hand on a dead man’s chest to see if he was still alive, but you could tell that he wasn’t. Just like the rest of them. Dean approached a woman lying on her back right underneath the bar, blood staining her shirt and mouth. But it didn’t appear like she had coughed up her own blood. He found a napkin and crouched down to her leve. Out of a hunch, he moved up her upper lip, revealing a pair of fangs.

“We got a vamp over here.” Dean called out. You furrowed your brow slightly from the change of monster and looked over in his direction. However the more he inspected the woman, the more he found that she wasn’t just one thing. He lifted up her left arm to see her wrist was covered in blood. And a spike was peaking out of the jacket sleeve. “Nope, scratch that. We got a wraith.”

“What the hell?” You mumbled. “What has teeth and a spike?”

“Never seen that in my life.” Bobby said, just confused as you were at what Dean discovered.

“Oh, great. So Eve’s making hybrids now?” Dean asked in irked tone of voice. This day was one of those days where life decided to keep giving all sorts of twists and turns. Bobby shrugged his shoulders, thinking that was what it looked like. “The question is, why? I mean, what does she want with a—What do you call these?”

“Well, congrats. You discovered it. You get to name it.” You said. You didn’t know why, but you decided to give Dean an opportunity to make history by labeling a creature you had never seen before until today. “Just don’t name it anything—”

“Jefferson Starships.”

“…stupid.” 

“Huh?” Dean thought his suggestion was a pretty good one. The displeased expression on your face told him that you didn’t think his idea was the least bit clever. Even when he explained the reason why for his decision on the name. “Because they’re horrible and hard to kill.”

“Remind me if we ever have children together you’re not to name them.” You said, showing the older Winchester of what you thought of his name. Dean was proud of himself at the clever idea he came up with all on his own from the smile that wouldn’t leave his face. You rolled your eyes, trying your hardest not to let your annoyed glare crack slightly when you thought about how adorable he looked. “Well, looks like the whole bar has been turned into—“

“Jefferson Starships.” Dean cut you off, reminding you of the proper scientific name to call them by.

“Oh my God. Fine.” You mumbled, giving up the fight that wasn’t worth your time. You decided the name would stick. “But why are all the…Starships dead?”

“I can’t say, but it looks like they all burned up.” Bobby speculated. You looked over at the older hunter with a slightly funny expression, wondering if he meant what you were starting to think all of these people just dropped dead from an actual human symptom. “Like a high fever, like the flu.”

“What the hell is going on here?” Dean asked. He walked over to the end of the bar to crouch down and inspect a dead man leaning up against the wood, blood dripping down from his mouth at whatever happened to him. “Does every monster in this town have the Motaba virus?”

"Hands where I can see them!”

The question would remain unanswered for now. You quickly turned around in your spot to see that mook of a sheriff Bobby was talking about came barging in with a few fellow officers with their guns drawn out. You let out a sigh from the sticky situation you landed yourself in. It didn’t exactly look good that all of you were standing with a bunch of dead bodies lying around the place. You did what you were told, lifting your hands up in defeat before you could get yourself shot because you weren’t cooperating.

“Now, this is not what it looks like.” Cas spoke up, trying to defuse the situation.

“Look, we’re the feds.” Bobby said.

“Yeah? Well, feds are not a lot to do this.” The sheriff said. You scoffed at what you were being accused of. Bobby was right, he was a mook. A big, stupid mook who was going to get his ass kicked after this situation was cleared up. “Cuff them.”

“You’re arresting for what, huh? Murder? ‘Cause from the stench of this place, we’re a little too late to the party.” You defended yourself from any sort of accusations being thrown in your direction. However it didn’t do you much good. You winced slightly when one of the officers forcibly made you turn around so he could cuff your hands behind your back. You rolled your eyes and looked at the bar area, wondering if you could find Dean. But it seemed he was missing in action. If he was smart, he would have hid himself from getting dragged into this mess like all of you had. “Like my naive friend said, it’s not what it looks like. You got all of this wrong—Hey! Can you be more gentle?”

You gave the officer who cuffed you a dirty glare from how rough he gripped your forearm to start dragging you out the doors before you even started walking. He scoffed and muttered for you to keep up. You begrudgingly didn’t give up a fight as you made your way out with the other three men. Before you could step outside, you looked over your shoulder one more time to see if you could spot Dean hiding somewhere where you could see. The officer didn’t feel like stopping for a split second, you rolled your eyes when the officer forcibly shoved you out the door and into the back of the squad car with Cas to take a ride downtown.

\+ + +

“If I may say, your justice system is quite flawed.”

“I know, Cas. I know.”

The ride to the sheriff’s station was nothing more than awkward, you were stuck in the backseat with your arms handcuffed a little too tightly behind your back with a couple of cops who thought you were a mass murderer. Cas sat next to you in mostly silence. You tried to, yet again, explain that if you could simply give them your badge—which the angel almost pointed out that it was a fake before you gave him a warning glare to shut his mouth—that all of this could be cleared up. The cop sitting in the passenger side told you to shut your mouth and keep quiet. You scoffed at his rude behavior and sat for the rest of the ride with a pissed off look on your face. Once this entire situation got straightened out all of these idiots were getting an ass kicking. Or perhaps a stern lecture since you were supposed to be pretending to be an FBI agent.

When you got to your destination, you were roughly taken out as you were shoved in. All of you were treated like a bunch of criminals from the way you were manhandled and shoved into the double doors leading to what you only presumed was the holding cells. You could try all you want to behave, but you were

starting to get irritated from the way they were treating you.

“Listen, if we can make a phone call, we can straighten this all out.” Sam tried his hardest to get through to the officers while he was being dragged into the station behind you and Bobby.

“Straighten out a massacre?” The sheriff who was pushing the younger Winchester farther into the station didn’t believe the excuse for a minute. “I’d like to see you try.”

Sam noticed a few security monitors that were hooked up right across the room, it conveniently showed all of you, and what was holding him. He spotted a pair of familiar reflective eyes, and without thinking, he quickly headbutted the sheriff holding him, getting away from the shifter fast as possible before he could get hurt. "Jefferson Starships!” The younger Winchester warned all of you that these men weren’t cops at all, but Mommy’s little monsters.

You managed to get yourself free from the cop that was holding you by quickly stomping on his foot hard enough to make him release his grip on your arm. You realized you had little options to defend yourself against the man with your hands cuffed behind your back. In an attempt to get him far away from you, you swung up one of your legs to kick him in the chest, only that plan backfired. He must have figured out what you were trying to do, You suddenly felt his grip on your ankle, and before you could stop it, you went tumbling to the ground flat on your back.

The experience of falling on your back with your hands cuffed wasn’t exactly a pleasant one. You winced in pain from how your body felt from your new position. But you had little time to think about the ache in your hands when you felt the cop reach down and grabbed you by your ankles and attempted to drag you across the floor to another part of the building. You retaliated by trying to somehow get out of his grip again, and while it almost seemed useless, something came out of nowhere, cutting his head clean off. You grimaced and looked away when you felt a fine splatter of blood cover your clothes.

You opened your eyes to see that Dean was standing over you with a machete in his grip, seeming to have had a hunch the cops weren’t exactly human. Cas took down the creature that nearly attempted to pick Bobby’s brain while Dean went after the sheriff that threw his brother up against the wall and got ready to plunge his fangs into the man’s neck. Before he could, Dean grabbed ahold of the sheriff and threw him across the room, getting ready to hack his head off like the rest. Only Sam managed to stop him, thinking the sheriff might be useful to all of you alive than dead. If he was one of Eve’s new hybrids, he was doing a lot better than the rest. And he might have talked to Mommy not that long ago.

All of you decided to put the sheriff up in one of the interrogation rooms, securing him down with silver chains and handcuffs you were in not too long ago. You leaned yourself against the wall with your arms crossed over your chest while Cas stood in the doorway, both of you watched as Bobby circled the sheriff with a knife in his hand. The boys were outside of the room with added precaution of their own machete and gun. You were packing a gun in the back of your waistband and a machete lying on the table just a few feet from where you were. If anything tried to get in here to save their new brother, they’d be stupid to take on four hunters and an angel.

“Well, I’ll say this.” Bobby said to to the sheriff. “You’re the healthiest-looking specimen I have seen all day.”

“I take my vitamins.” The sheriff remarked, shrugging his shoulders.

“So you wanna tell us what’s going on here? Hm?” Bobby started off the questions in a calm and polite tone of voice. You watched as he took a few steps around the sheriff before he took things in a bit more drastic turn in an attempt to show the man that all of you weren’t afraid to draw a little blood. Bobby leaned down slightly to get into the sheriff’s eye view, the tip of the knife dangerously close to the sheriff. You quietly scoffed when you noticed he flinched and leaned backwards at the sight of the silver knife. “So you boys are Eve’s cleaning crew? Is that it? You come around to clean up the bodies, make sure the word doesn’t get out, huh? Is that why you snatched up the doctor?”

“You’re so wasting your time. You stupid head of cattle.” The sheriff thought he was awfully funny from the chuckle that escaped him. You raised a brow when he sat there, acting all cocky, thinking he was going to get out of this alive. The attention in the room shifted for a moment when the sound of clattering coming from across the building could be heard.

The boys decided to be the ones to check it out, leaving the three of you to keep an eye on the sheriff. You turned your gaze away from the door and back to the sheriff. This time it was your turn to look at him with a bit of an arrogant look. “Oh, goody. Think it’ll be a waste of our time if we slaughter more of Mommy’s children? ‘Cause if she wants to keep giving us kids to play with, we’ll be more than happy to take you down. One by one.” You subtly threatened him about what would come if Eve tried to pull another stunt. You grew a smirk as you pushed yourself up from the wall and walked over to lean over him. But your focus wasn’t on him anymore. You looked at the older hunter and said, “Hey, Bobby. Why don’t we have a little fun?”

There were ways of torturing a vampire, but you were fresh out of dead man’s blood. However shapeshifters and wraiths had one thing in common, their weakness was silver. Bobby poked and sliced away at the sheriff to see if he would start spilling secrets, but all you got so far was a bunch of threats and laughter. You were starting to grow more furious at how things were going. They weren’t what you were expecting. Silver might have hurt him, but the sheriff sure wasn’t showing any signs of pain. He just sat there, taunting all of you. Bobby reached up and sliced at the sheriff’s cheek, all he got back was a remark.

“You really think that’s gonna make me talk?” He asked the older hunter, chuckling.

“Something will.” You said. You knew Bobby wasn’t getting anywhere with getting this bastard to talk. You had limited options here and Eve was out there. Much as you didn’t want to put this option out on the table, your nerves were getting the best of you. Your mind was thinking of ways to make him scream like a banshee. Maybe you would prove Eve right by carving up one of her children and giving it as a lovely gift before killing her. “Or should I say someone.” 

You could feel your fingernails digging into the palm of your skin as you stared at the smirk that never seemed to have left the sheriff’s face. It grew a little bit wider at seeing you fuming like this, feeling things you hadn’t touched since…since you were turning into a demon. Before you could think too much about your aggressive issues, a familiar voice echoed from right outside of the next room, making you realize the boys were back. And with some extra company from the looks of two smaller bodies that came walking in with the brothers when you peeked your head out the door to see what was going on.

“Got a couple of hungry human boys here.” Dean called out.

You spotted two boys, one who looked to be in his early teens and the other no older than ten, quietly following behind Dean as he lead them past the decapitated body without seeing it. You stepped out from the room, shutting the door behind you slightly so they wouldn’t catch a glimpse of the torture going on and approached them. "Hey, there.” You greeted the two boys with a warm smile. You looked at them for a moment, wondering why they looked so familiar, and when you did, you felt your smile grow wider. “You’re Dr. Silver kids, aren’t you?”

“That they are. This is Joe,” Dean pointed to the oldest and then his little brother to introduce them. “And that’s Ryan.”

“Nice to meet you guys. I’m Y/N. And I’m guessing these two knuckleheads mentioned they’re Sam and Dean. They’re both brothers. Just like you two. I’m their friend. We’re here to make sure the two of you are safe. Nothing bad is gonna happen to you guys again. Promise.” You crouched down so you were at Ryan’s level. Joe was about a foot taller than his brother. You reached a hand inside your pocket and pulled out a couple of folded up ones from the change you got back from the diner earlier today. You held them up for Ryan to see as you smiled at him. “How do you guys feel about chocolate for dinner? I spotted a vending machine just down the hall. And it looks like it’s packed with a whole bunch of goodies.”

You couldn’t help but let out a quiet chuckle at the sight of Ryan’s face at the mention of food, Joe was too nervous to accept the offer. You got yourself up to your feet and nodded your head for Ryan to follow you so the both of you could pick something out, Joe followed behind. You handed Ryan the five dollars and told him to go crazy. He picked out a chocolate bar and cola, Joe politely declined when you, yet again, offered him something to eat. You let out a sigh from what the poor kids must have gone through today. The three of you headed back to discuss the events.

“So you two never heard them talk about a mother…” Sam started off the questioning after Ryan got himself comfortable in a stool you set up against the wall for him to sit on with Joe by his side. You sat on the edge of a desk right across from them after you ripped open the chocolate bar package and handed it back to the kid so he could start nibbling on it. “Or someone named Eve?”

“It was just me and Ryan in there.” Joe admitted the details to you and the boys. You asked him about his parents. “Cops said we were next. They said we were food.”

You inhaled a deep breath and bit the inside of your cheek from the details that you heard. You tried your hardest to refrain from saying a few inappropriate words in front of the boys to keep from scaring them. All of this was just the cherry on top of it all. Eve—that bitch—she was going to get it. Her and all her little hybrid monsters she called children.

“Do you have any other family?” Dean asked, hopeful all of you might be able to get these poor kids somewhere safe and sound before things could possibly get worse.

“An uncle in Meritt.” Joe said.

“Meritt. What’s that, fifteen miles out of town?” You wondered. You thought the name of the town sounded familiar, you remembered coming across it after looking up the place where Lenore told you Eve would be. You and the boys silently agreed that it would be possible to swing out of here and drop the kids off somewhere safe. You looked over at Joe and Ryan to tell them the good news you already settled on. “We’ll get you there. Promise.”

“Dean, Y/N. Can I have a word?” Cas’ voice brought your attention away from the younger boys. You pushed yourself off the desk and headed over to another spot in the room to have a private conversation. You crossed your arms over your chest and gave the angel a curious look to see what all of this was about. “We need to find Eve now.”

“Go. Me and Sam just gotta make a milk run.” Dean said. He solved the problem with a solution he you and him were happy with. Cas, however, didn’t think all this could be handled easily

“We need your help in there.” Cas nodded his head to the door that you had shut, but was now wide open for the two Silver boys to see. You furrowed your brow slightly from what the angel was trying to get at. If you know any better, Cas was trying to get Dean to get that thing to talk by joining in on the torture.

“I’ll stick around.” You proposed more of the idea that Dean mentioned, thinking Cas might have skipped over that detail. Cas turned his gaze in your direction, and from the look on his face, you could tell he wasn’t exactly on board. “Look, it won’t take them long. Chill, Cas.”

“No, Y/N. I can’t 'chill.’” Cas said. You already turned around in your spot and attempted to walk over to the Silver boys and Sam, thinking this conversation was done, but it seemed you were only halfway through with it. You turned back to look at the angel and hear what he had to say. “Millions of lives are at stake here, not just two. Stay focused.”

“What did you just say to me?” You narrowed your eyes on the angel, not liking one word he just said.

“There’s a greater purpose.” Cas reminded you of the same excuse you had been hearing for months now. Far as you were concerned, he could shove that purpose straight up where the sun didn’t shine.

“You know what? I’m getting a little sick and tired of the greater purpose, okay? Start preaching something more on our level. ‘Cause I feel like since you got your wings back, you’ve been way different than I remember. And I don’t like it.” You told the angel about how you really felt. More than you should have. All though you were getting closer to the finishing line, Eve was still nowhere to be found, which meant you had some breathing room to do the right thing. And you weren’t backing down with your plan. “If you want someone to make that son of a bitch talk so badly, let me at him. Meanwhile, Sam and Dean are gonna do the right thing by saving a couple of kids. If you don’t mind. And if you did…I really could give a rat’s ass.”

You let the argument end where it was, with you having the last word. You headed over to the Silver boys and told them the plan. “Okay, guys. Sam and Dean are gonna take you to your Uncle’s place. Far, far away from here.” You said, your lips stretching into a smile. You looked at the both of them for a moment, and for some strange reason, an ache settled in your chest when you realized that their lives weren’t ever going to be the same again. But with your help, they might possibly have the chance to start over again. Sam got himself up to his feet and followed behind the kids. You looked over at Dean and pointed a finger at him. “Be safe.”

“Always am, sweetheart.” Dean reassured you, giving you a two finger salute before heading out the door to catch up with the others.

You let out a sigh from the worry that always clouded your frame of mind as you watched him disappear from your sight. No matter what situation, you always feared the worst was going to happen when the boys got out of your sight. You didn’t know why, but you started to think about Joe and Ryan for a moment, and how familiar they were to you. Two brothers with dead parents, on a journey knowing about the supernatural. Your lips stretched into a small frown, the Winchester boys and their painful past. But if you knew anything about the boys, it was that their struggles brought them closer together. And who knew, maybe the Silver brothers would meet a friend in their new life to help them.

You could feel your frown turning up into a small smile as you quietly began to chuckle at your way of thinking. You turned away from the door and began walking back to the interrogation room where the sheriff and Bobby still where. However, when you looked across the room, there stood Cas, the same disapproving look on his face at what you chose to do.

\+ + +

It was ten minutes after the boys left when you decided to go check up on Cas to see how he was doing. You were starting to feel guilty for snapping at the angel in the way you did. You understood that he was thinking about the bigger picture and how much of a risk all of you were taking to get a few kids safe. There was a possibility that Eve might have been watching you since you got into town. She could have had her children ambush the boys and the Silver boys. Right now wasn’t the time to play hero to a couple of kids who just lost both of their parents in God knows what kind of vicious way.

But you didn’t know of a place where you could keep the kids safe while you hunted down Eve. You had little ammunition and an angel without wings. Sometimes you had to do a little extra work to save a few lives before a few million others.

You found Cas hiding away in one of the empty rooms in the station, standing in front of a window that overlooked the parking lot. You leaned yourself against the door frame and crossed your arms over your chest. “They won’t take long.” You reassured the angel, presuming he was worried about the boys’ safety. “Knowing how Dean drives, they’ll probably be back in half the time.”

You’ve known Cas for a few years now, and in that time you’ve never known him to be the one for sarcasm. He was blunt and honest. Tonight it seemed he was feeling a little fresh. Your smile slowly faded when he looked over his shoulder and at you. “You don’t know that.” He said, turning his gaze back to the window. “They may find more wayward orphans along the way.” 

“Oh, don’t get cute.” You grumbled, rolling your eyes from his behavior that hadn’t change.

“Right. Pardon me for highlight you and the Winchesters’ crippling and dangerous empathetic response with ‘sarcasm.’” Cas said. He added air quotes around the last word to drive his point home. You narrowed your eyes slightly on the angel and shook your head. Cas took a few steps across the room before he stopped when he stood next to you. “It was a bad idea, letting them go.”

“As to doing what with them, exactly? Hide them somewhere and hope one of Eve’s freaks don’t sniff them out and choose them for dessert?” You questioned the angel, wondering what his big plan would have been if you listened to him. Cas stared at you from the corner of his eye. You raised your brow in curiosity to see if he would give you any sort of details about his plan. But he remained silent. You rolled your eyes and quietly scoffed. "You’re so unbelievable, sometimes.”

“You two idjits done fighting about this already?” You and Cas looked into the hall to see Bobby was standing outside. It seemed he was getting tired of the disagreement the two of you were still hashing out. “Cas, you should know better by now. You don’t let Y/N and the boys do squat. They do what they gotta. And Y/N, you should learn to agree to disagree. It saves up on time for when people like to mope around. Now, since there’s no changing things, how about we focus on what’s important? We want Eve, we need coordinates. So we can stand here bellyaching, or we can poke poke that pig till he squeals. Thoughts?”

You pushed yourself off from the wall to a standing position. You weren’t about to deny an opportunity to let out some pent up aggression on one of Eve’s children. You nodded your head in agreement with the plan, Cas didn’t say a single word. He simply gave you and Bobby a blank expression before stepping out into the hall and walking back to the interrogation room where you left the sheriff. You and the older hunter followed behind to get started on finding a location before the boys came back.

You kept to your promise of going at it with the sheriff to see if you could make him talk by using your own skills you learned from hell. A few trips down below made you quipped with all sorts of different methods you could use to make even the worst monster into a coward. You held the bloody silver knife and cut over a few of the open wounds Bobby made earlier. You were just testing the waters to see what you were working with. He was stronger than you had given him credit for. The silver might have hurt, but he wasn’t acting like it did. You were starting to find yourself growing frustrated from the lack of progress.

“You know, she can see you right now.” The sheriff said. You raised your brow slightly from the knowledge you already knew and circled around him, adjusting your grip around the knife. “And you’re just making her mad.”

“Tell the bitch to come get me then. Because from where I’m standing, you’ve got two options. You can make this easier on yourself and tell me where she’s hiding out..” You warned the shifter as you approached closer to him, pointing the blade of the knife in his direction for him to see. And for Mommy to know that you weren’t playing around anymore. You could feel your grip around the handle tighten. “Or I start chopping off all the bits that stick out.”

You had all intentions of making violent threats against him and holding to your word. But you felt the words slipping out of your mouth without much of a thought. Almost like another part of you let it slip out. You felt your brow furrowing slightly from slight confusion, wondering why they sounded so…familiar. The sheriff smiled to himself at what happened. He knew damn well what was going on, so he played along with the lines being fed to him. “Go ahead, princess. See if it makes me–”

You cut off the sheriff when your hand lurched forward and stabbed him him with the knife, you shoved the blade deep into his shoulder to get something out of him. You heard him let out a howl from the pain, you felt your lips stretch into a smirk as you pressed down even harder to get more of a reaction out of him. You swiftly yanked it out and held it for a moment, giving him a chance to catch his breath so he could answer your question. But all you got was a glare and silence.

“What was what? Mommy’s hiding where?” You stepped forward ot the sheriff and bent down slightly to get him in eye level. You cupped your ear and gave him a curious expression to hear his answer. What happened next took you by complete surprise. The sheriff spit a mixture of blood and saliva straight into your face. You let out a gasp and backed away from him. You took the sleeve of your jacket and wiped away the disgusting substance off your face. “What is it with you–”

“Animals? Correct me if I’m wrong. But I think you said, ‘Lighten up, Crowley. It was the tiniest bit funny.’” The sheriff word for word repeated exactly what Eve wanted him to say. You stopped for a moment and stared at him with a baffled look. You swallowed slightly and wiped away the last of the blood off of your face. “Sound familiar? Because it should. It’s from one of your many sessions with Crowley while you two wrongfully tortured Eve’s children. Remember the babies you threatened to kill? Even Bobby John. The baby you were gonna raise as your own. You were gonna You were gonna fillet them in front of their father’s eyes–toss their spines into his lap.”

"What?” Your face scrunched up at the accusation being thrown in your face. Your expression changed into a confused and slightly horrified look from what he was saying. “I wouldn’t–”

“You did. You did all those horrible things that you can’t remember. But she’ll crack that little wall in your head to make you remember.” The sheriff cut you off. “Eve is gonna make you live through everything you did to her children. You can’t outrun her this time. It’s only fair you take your punishment. An eye for an eye.“

You swallowed slightly and looked away from him, trying your hardest not to let anyone see a sign of nervousness from you. You thought for a moment about your days in hell, what Alastier did to make you spill all your secrets…what he did to make you feel so weak. Before you could dwell on the past, someone else wanted to have a little fun. “I need five minutes alone with him.”

It was Cas who was the one who spoke up. “What for?” Bobby asked. Cas gave the man a simple look to realize what he was hinting at. Cas wanted a turn at torturing the poor sucker. You and Bobby gave each other a look, unsure if that was a good idea from the state of how Cas was. The both of you walked over to the angel where he stood, leaning against the wall, watching as you and Bobby took your turn at trying to get the man to talk. Since neither one of you could, Cas wanted to try. "Cas, your batteries are dead.”

“Give me five minutes.” Cas said, walking over to the sheriff.

You weren’t going to oppose of the plan, because you didn’t have any other options left at this point. You and Bobby headed out into the office area of the station to sit around and wait for Cas to make the sheriff cough up a location. Bobby leaned himself against the desk and pulled out a flask from the inside pocket of his vest. He screwed off the top, but before he took a sip, he offered you a drink. You graciously took the flask and brought it to your lips. You took a hefty swing of the whiskey and swallowed it down without much of a wince. You mumbled a thank you and gave it back to Bobby. The man didn’t take you for a drinker.

“You okay, kid?” Bobby asked you out of concerned.

You crossed your arms over your chest when you heard the sheriff’s screams echoed from just across the room. You let out a sigh, wondering why you were still thinking about what unfolded just a few minutes ago. “I’ll let you know when Eve’s dead.”

Cas emerged from the room just a moment later. You noticed that he didn’t have blood only on his trench coat and suit. His hands were soaked in the substance as he began to wipe his hands clean. “Eve’s at 25 Buckley Street.” Cas informed the both of you. “You can call Sam and Dean.” 

“Call the boys. I’ll take care of him.” You nodded your head to the room just down the hall as you pushed yourself up to your feet, reaching for the machete. You wanted to be the one to take care of this. Bobby nodded his head in agreement as you made your way to the interrogation room where the sheriff laid, bloody and wounded, a helpless dying creature at your mercy. You crouched down slightly so you were staring straight into his eyes, but you weren’t talking to him. You were passing off a message to his mother. “Come at me, you bitch.”

You inhaled a breath as you pushed yourself back up to your feet. You tightened your grip around the machete and took a few swings before you did the job. You cut off the sheriff’s head clean off and let it drop to the floor. It rolled around a few times before it landed at your feet. You reached out your leg and rested your foot against his skull, your lips stretched into a smirk as you stared into his scared little eyes. “Guess you lost your head, huh?”

\+ + +

The boys returned back from their successful trip a half an hour after Bobby told him the news that you got a location. Sam said the Silver boys made it safely to their uncle’s house. Now it was time to get to business. You sat on top of the desk while Sam occupied a chair and Bobby stood around next to Cas. Dean inspected the handiwork of Cas and the severed head lying on the ground from the window. You rested the shotgun on your lap and watched as Dean turned back to face all of you, his face written with a bit of a wince at what he saw.

“Rigorous interrogation, huh?” Dean wondered.

“Well, we got a location.” Bobby said. The three of you had to get your hands dirty to get the bit of information while the boys were gone, but you would agree it was worth the effort. Now came the most crucial part of the plan you’ve been waiting for months to achieve. “Now, we just gotta get close enough to take a shot.” 

“All right. Well, let’s all take them.” Dean reached a hand inside his pocket to take out the bullets you and him made just yesterday morning. You reached out and grabbed from him as he started to hand what limited supplies you had been able to make. You had six rounds total, with five of you, there was one bullet left to spare if all of you missed on the first try. “Load them up. Make them count.”

You loaded up your gun and did everything you needed to make sure that it was all set for the big moment. You found yourself inhaling a deep breath one more time before the moment you had been waiting for would finally arrive. The face to face meeting you were going to have with Mommy Dearest herself. You weren’t sure what to expect out of tonight’s meeting. But if there was one thing you wished to happen, you wished you could get the truth straightened out before you blew her brains out.

\+ + +

All of you headed out into the quiet evening and tracked down the location you were given. You weren’t quite sure where Eve was hiding out while you ran around town. Where did mothers go to hide away? Apparently right under your nose. You stepped out of the car and walked down the sidewalk with your hands in your pockets, following behind as everyone headed to the location. You looked forward to see 25 Buckley Street was just across the way, and in a place you were when you first arrived into town. You stopped at the end of the sidewalk when you read the sign, Ervin’s Diner. The same exact place you pointed out to grab a meal.

“You’ve got to be kidding me.” You mumbled. “She’s been in there the whole time?”

"Why’d she ever let us in? Or out.” Sam wondered as to the reason why Eve was being a generous host. She could have easily killed you right then and there as you drank your coffee and ate your food without having a single clue she was in there.

“There’s one way to find out.” Dean said.

“What, you just stroll in?” Bobby asked, calling out the older Winchester on his half ass plan to point out a few flaws he might have forgotten about. “We don’t know who’s human or who’s her.”

“Well, there’s one way to draw her out. Me, Sam and Y/N go in.” Dean said. Bobby didn’t like the sound of this new plan when he spoke the man’s name in a serious tone. The older hunter couldn’t help but think it would be a suicide mission going in there outnumbered and with only three bullets between all of you. “Look, we don’t get a shot off, you two better.”

“That’s the plan?”

“Pretty much.”

It wasn’t hard of a plan to follow. Sam shrugged off the duffel bag he was carrying to hand it over to Bobby while you and Dean crossed the street, making your way to the diner. The younger Winchester caught up with the both of you just in time to slip into the diner to see if you try and somehow find out who Eve was dressing up as. You looked around to see the entire place was crawling with people. But nobody looked suspicious. There were a few people in booths and a line of people at the counter. All of them enjoying a meal or viewing menus.

You made your way over to the end of the counter when you spotted a few spots open. Dean sat on your right as Sam took a stool on your left side. You noticed a waitress was standing behind the counter with her back to you, talking to the chef. All looked unsuspicious. But there was more than met the eye. Sam took out his phone and put it to the camera setting. He took a sweep of the place and its customers, making the horrifying discovery that all of you might have stepped into a trap when he started to slowly look around the room through the phone screen. The mumbled “crap” he kept muttering underneath his breath didn’t seem like a good sign.

“Starships?” Dean quietly asked his brother. Sam nodded his head when he ended his search on you and his brother. You should have seen this one coming. Of course Eve wouldn’t be alone while four hunters and an angel tracked her down. “Is there anybody in this diner that is not a flesh-eating monster?”

“You me, and Y/N.” Sam clarified the answer you were already expecting.

“Let’s get out of here.” You whispered, suddenly itching to run for the hills. You turned around slightly in your stool so you were now facing the door that was just a few feet away. Before you could get to your feet, a voice stopped you from making your great escape.

“Two specials right?”

You looked straight ahead to see the waitress you spotted just a moment ago put down a few plates in front of you. You smiled slightly at the small misconception she had. “Uh, no, that’s not for us.” You said. “We were just heading out.”

“Now, that would be rude, Y/N.” The waitress replied from your passive behavior on her gracious offer for a hot meal. It seemed she didn’t make a mistake at all. You narrowed your eyes slightly on her from what she said next. “Your mother taught you manners, didn’t she?”

“Yeah. She taught me never to take food from strangers. But I don’t know. I have a feeling I know you.” You said. You slowly turned back in your seat so you could face her. The poor girl who had been kidnapped all those months ago by those dragons. She was reduced as a body for the bitch you heard so much about. “Let me take a wild guess. You’re Eve.”

“Pleasure.” She greeted you in a calm tone.

“Why don’t we step outside, chat?” Dean suggested.

“Why?” Eve asked, wondering the reason to change the scenery. “This is private.”

You turned your head slightly when one of the men a few spots across from you got up from his seat to lock the door and close the blinds. A few others drew the other blinds close to give all of you complete and total privacy from any possible wandering eyes. Or who might want to take a shot at her from the outside. You could feel your jaw tightening when you saw the same man who locked the door grabbed the duffel bag Dean carried and slipped underneath the stool be grabbed. The one thing you had to kill Eve was taken right from you and placed on the counter.

Eve took it upon herself to open up the duffel bag and fetch one of the guns. She only needed to take a sniff to realize it wasn’t gunpowder in the bullet shells. “Phoenix ash. I’m impressed. I bet you had to go a long way for that.”

“You have no idea.” Dean muttered underneath his breath.

“Destroy these. Thank you.” Eve politely ordered one of her children to take away the very thing that took you what felt like forever to find. All that hard work, all that work Bobby and Cas put themselves through to get you back in time was worth nothing. You let out a quiet sigh and stared down at your lap, wondering why you thought this was a good idea. “Relax. I’m not here to fight.”

“No, just to rally every freak on the planet, bring in khan worms and half-ass spider-men and dragons.” Dean said. He brought up a few of the stranger things you and the boys had hunted over the past few months. It was things nobody had seen for hundreds of years, and other projects cooked up by Eve herself. “Really, sister? Dragons?”

“So I dusted off some of the old classics.” Eve defended herself against the hunter’s judgement of her choice in monsters. “I needed help.” 

“With what?” Sam asked. He had the audacity to scoff at her master plan. You couldn’t help the small smile that spread across her lips when he guessed the woman’s plan. “Tearing apart the planet?”

Eve didn’t find the remark the least bit funny. She stepped forward and placed both of her hands on the counter, leaning herself forward when she spoke to all of you. “You misunderstand me. I never wanted that, not at first. I liked our arrangement.” Eve explained herself. You raised your brow slightly and asked what sort of arrangement she was talking about. “The natural order. My children turned a few of you. You hunted them. I was happy.”

“Okay,” You weren’t believing a single word she was saying, but you decided to entertain the idea to see where it lead you. “So what changed?”

“My children, no thanks to you,” Eve looked at you straight in the eye to tell you the reason for her shift in behavior, “started to get kidnapped and tortured, even my firstborns. I was pushed into this. After all, a mother defends her children.”

“Really? You’re gonna use the mother-of-the-year defense?” Dean asked the woman. You would have taken her as possibly the worst thing out there to call a mother. Today was enough to see she made things that could barely survive. And if her entire goal was to make things and have all of you hunt them, it didn’t seem like she cared much for her children. “You?”

“It happens to be true.” Eve said. You and the boys didn’t fall for her excuse. You rolled your eyes while Sam scoffed ever so quietly underneath his breath. Dean grew a smirk at her way of thinking. Eve, being creative, knew there was a connection between all of you. A figure you held dearly in your heart, the reason why all of you turned out to be hunters. She decided to take a bit of inspiration to drive her point home. “Know what? Maybe you’ll believe it if I took a little more like this.”

You watched as in the blink of an eye Eve turned herself into the very women that gave you life. The woman that stood in front of you was someone you hadn’t seen in fourteen years. Alive and in the flesh was Ella Y/L/N. To you, at least. For the boys it was their mother, Mary Winchester. Your mothers were exactly as you remembered them before their tragic end. The smile Mary gave her son before pushing him off to bed before being burnt to a crisp. Ella’s caring twinkle in her eye when you went off to school that morning, only to see her with her face bloody and scratched in. Eve wanted all of you to think of her more as a caring, nurturing woman. You wouldn’t kill your dear old mother, would you?

\+ + +

You stared into the eyes of the woman who carried you for nine months and provided you with a safe, sheltered life. Your mother, Ella, was exactly like how you remembered her. Down to the last details of the fine lines underneath her eyes that got more prominent when she smiled. People always said you looked a lot like her. From the looks to the personality to match. For ten years after she died at the hands of Azazel, before you knew the truth, you took it as a compliment. But after you learned what she did to have you, you hated her guts for the longest time. Selling your father out, tearing you away from your two best friends, making you into a monster. All things she did because she wanted to have a child. But you knew she was also trying to protect you. 

Your mother didn’t run after Mary died because she wanted to escape, it was because she was afraid Azazel was going to get you. She hid you from the hunting lifestyle because it was painful, it was dangerous. And you had a feeling if she knew what sort of consequences the second deal she made with Crowley she wouldn’t have taken it. She would have enjoyed her ten years with you and had peace knowing you would be raised by your father, Andrew, and maybe have had a decent life. Maybe things would have been different. Who knew. But you knew for certain that you never had wanted to kill Eve more than you did right now. Dean didn't like her special trick she pulled on all of you. You agreed with him when he called her a bitch underneath his breath.

“She died to protect you, didn’t she? She went to great lengths to make sure nobody snatched you up." Eve said, attempting to get under your skin from her remark. You knew it was against you. You couldn't even look into her eyes anymore. You were trying your hardest not to jump over the table and strangle her with your bare hands. “See? You understand a mother’s love. I’m no different.” 

"All right, you know what? This conversation's over." Dean said, having had enough of this little walk down memory lane. "If you're gonna kill us, kill us." 

"You? No." Eve corrected the older Winchester, rolling her eyes from the presumption from what he thought how this night was going to go. You looked up from the countertop to see she appeared to be a bit annoyed at the misconception. It seemed she wasn’t so upset at you after all. "I only said all those things to get you here. It's Crowley I want dead." 

"Well, you're too late there." Dean said. "That little limey mook roasted months ago." 

Eve tilted her head to the side and smiled at the hunter’s lack of knowledge. “Crowley’s alive.” 

You furrowed your brow tightly from what you were hearing. You seen him roast alive with your own eyes. There was no way he could have pulled a fast one on all of you. “That’s impossible.” 

Eve's smile grew even wider as she scoffed at how stupid all of you were. You watched as she, dressed still as your mother, walk out from behind the counter and make her way over to where Sam sat. She leaned herself against the side, giving you a piece of information you weren't sure was the truth. “I see his face through the eyes of every child he strings up and skins. I kind of got the hint he got free to do what he pleased when Y/N stopped showing up. Probably around the same time you thought he ‘died’, right?” Eve took a wild guess. “Any idea why he’s hurting my babies?”

 

“He wants purgatory, right?” Dean wondered, repeating what he learned after hunting the alpha vampire and found out the secret of being a demon’s bitch. “Location, location, location."

"Is that what he told you?" Eve let out a chuckle from the presumption. "It's about the souls." 

"What about them?" You simply asked her a question, only it seemed the wrong move.

You didn't know what you did to piss her off so badly in the few minutes you were here, but she knew how to get under your skin. Eve's face turned into the exact same glare your mother used to give you when you misbehaved. Suddenly you felt yourself slipping away from reality and back into the past. Looking into her eyes, the ones that belonged to your mother, it made you feel inferior. A little girl who had gotten into trouble and now was going to be disciplined by her mother. The woman who went to hell to have you, who dominated every aspect of your life until the day she died. And even now, you were still struggling to find control.

"Their power, you simple little mutt." Eve called you by a name that you hadn't heard since you went to hell. When you were still a half demon, half human. A mutt of the worst things a person could be. And you were about to find out that you were still that. Being used for people’s personal needs. "Fuel. Each soul a beautiful, little nuclear reactor. Put them together, you have the sun. Now, think of what the kind of hell could do with that vast, untapped oil well. How powerful he'll be. And he think he's pretty powerful already. He doesn't do the grunt work. He needed someone to not only kidnap my children, but to torture them. Someone who had gone through the ringer a few times themselves.” 

“And let me talk a wild guess.” You said, shrugging your shoulders when you saw her eyes were focused in your direction. “You think it was me.”

“I know it was you. I saw you. But your eyes...they were different. They were dark.   
. They showed me who was responsible for hurting my babies. Someone only with a black soul could do those heinous things. Don’t you humans have a saying for that? The eyes are the window to the soul. And I very much believe that.” Eve said. You found yourself staring at the woman who looked exactly like your mother, a sort of strange look crossed your face the more this situation carried on. “When I look into your eyes, I don’t see a monster, I see a woman who is nothing more than a scared little girl whose afraid to hear the truth about what she really is. You don’t think so, but it’s in there...hidden away. And I want to see it, Y/N. I want to see the demon part of you. I know she can hear me.” 

“She’s not in here. I would know. Maybe for once you should tell the truth.” You spoke between clenched teeth as you stared at her with a vicious glare from the accusation she was bringing up after all this time. All this effort you put into being human. She was lying. You had no proof not to think otherwise. “After all, mothers shouldn’t tell lies.” 

"Why do you think Crowley wants those souls? Because they're powerful. Souls are like sponges for humans. They give all of you monkeys emotions. They make you feel love, hate. And they remember every horrible thing you do. No matter if you try to erase the memory or put up a wall. Now, who else to help the king of hell than the very mutt who promised him." Eve said. You knew she was talking about the deal you made with Crowley before you went to hell, the complete loyalty to gave to him. You found yourself listening to every word she was saying. Maybe it was the truth, maybe it was just to keep getting under your skin. But it she wasn't lying about Crowley...then maybe she wasn’t lying about you not being human. “The one who got a few rounds in hell, who knows an awful lot about torture. That nasty...  
inside of you. She's the one I wanted all along. Not you."

"Well, you're pretty shaky on the communication there, sister." Dean pipped himself into the conversation. You stared at Eve with a glare at the horrible things she was saying. You didn't notice how the brothers exchanged a side-eye look from how Eve was going on, saying things about a topic that was supposed to be hush, hush. The more you knew, the worse it would get. "Here we thought you wanted to see Y/N's head on the chopping block. You went pretty far on passing the message along. Could've fooled us."

Eve acknowledged what Dean said with nothing more than looking in his direction before setting her gaze back on you. She observed you for a moment, wondering if she could find a trace of denial, but you were clueless as could be. "My, my. Crowley really did a number on you. She's still in there. I know she can hear me. She's been in there since you came out of hell." Eve kept going on about the truth, but you still kept denying it. You didn’t want to hear it. It didn’t make any sense. “Ever think of all those little blackouts you had is when the demon comes out to play? Because it is. Crowley made it that way. He made sure you didn't remember a single thing. Now, I know   
wouldn't do such a thing. You took sympathy on Bobby John. You wanted to raise my child. Not hurt him."

"I cut up the cop pretty badly." You said. You thought back to just a few hours ago while you tried to get a location out of him. You didn’t hold back while you sliced open the newest creature of Eve’s to get what you wanted. "I tortured him. Doesn't that change your opinion of me?"

"No. Because you did what a mother would do. You did it to protect the ones you love, because it's what hunters do. What you did for Crowley while you were a demon is a whole other situation. That's why I'm angry. Crowley wants to siphon off my supply and torture my children to do it? Okay, fine. I'll quit playing nice. I'll turn you all." Eve said. Her big plan wasn't to kill all of you, but to turn you into her children. Her little monsters. "Every soul, mine. Let's see how hot his hell burns when everyone comes to me. Even his little mutt who he trained so well. He asked for it."

“You know, last I checked, there are a few billion of us.” Dean said, trying to put a clinch Eve’s plan of world domination. “That plan might take a while.” 

"What exactly do you think I'm doing?" Eve asked. She was now leaning herself against one of the booths with her arms crossed over her chest. "I'm building the perfect beast." 

“Wait a second.” Sam thought to himself for a moment about what he had been seeing around town. Ed and his roommates, the people at the bar. Ed Bright was Patient Zero. “All those—All those things we’ve been finding.” 

Eve shrugged her shoulders, "Call it beta testing."

“Well, I think your formula might be a little off.” Dean said. “They imploding all over town.” 

“Well, there were a few unfortunate failures. But I eventually got it right. Quiet, smart, inconspicuous. It can spread through a whole town in under a day. Oh, and the best part, you’ve been with it the whole time. Yes, you were the final test. I had to see if it could slip past hunters undetected, of course.” Eve didn’t seem all that heartbroken on her children who had died in order to get her disease just right. You stared at her with a confused expression, wondering as to who you were around that would have been infected. It couldn’t have been anyone of you. Unless…the bitch had another trick up her sleeve. ”Little Ryan.”

You stared at her with a look of disgust from what she did. You shook your head and put all your willpower in not doing something that would end up in you dead. "As if you couldn’t be anymore repulsive, you go after a   
."

"Don't be upset, Y/N. If it makes you kids feel any better, Ryan was bound to work on you. Little wayward orphan like yourselves." Eve might have looked like your mother, but it didn't give her the right to touch you. You flinched and backed away when she tried to lightly pinch your cheek. "There's nothing you can do about it now. So let's talk.” 

“Nothing to say.” Sam said.

“Well, that’s where you’re wrong. I have an offer to propose.” Eve said. You rolled your eyes in frustration. Of course she did. "Crowley, as you know, not so easy to find. So here's the deal. You find him, bring him to me...I let you live." 

You let out a quiet sigh as Eve broke out into a smile. You looked over at Sam when you started to think about this. It seemed he thought that it might not be a bad thing just to talk about. Dean, however, didn’t even want to hear about it anymore. “Pass.” The older Winchester declined the generous offer. You turned your attention over to him as you hissed his name from how stupid he was acting right now. “Y/N, no. The answer is no.”

“You say that like you have another option.” Eve said in a rather menacing tone. 

“Maybe I do, maybe I don’t.” Dean mumbled, testing the woman’s nerves. 

“You think?” Eve wondered. You should have seen this coming when the door to the restaurant opened. A few of Eve's new children dragged in Bobby and Cas. Alive, but against their will. You gritted your teeth from how this night was going. "Well, so much for your plan B." She turned around to greet her guests, most importantly Cas, who had been left powerless because of her. "And you, wondering, 'Why so flaccid?' I'm older than you, Castiel. I know what makes angels tick. As long as I'm around, consider yourself...unplugged." Eve gave the angel a smile and a sly wink before turning herself around on her heels and walked back to behind the counter. She tried yet again to make the three of you change your minds. “Work for me. It’s a good deal.” 

You found yourself pondering on her promise of taking down one problem. It sounded like sweet revenge you craved to have after realizing the demon was still alive and kicking. But it was your hesitance to join another monster who turned an entire town into a bunch of hybrid monsters that was making you hesitant. Eve seemed to notice from the uneasy looks you and the boys were giving each other. She rolled her eyes, deciding she might need to sweeten the deal a bit more to get all of you on board. "Bonus, I won't kill your friends."

“All right, look, the last few months, we’ve been working for an evil dick. We’re not about to sign up for an evil bitch.” Dean told the Mother of All about how it was going to be. He might look like his mother, but he wasn’t going to listen to a damn thing she said. “We don’t work with demon's. We don’t work with monsters. And if that means you gotta kill us, then kill us.” 

“Or...I turn you.” Eve proposed another idea. “And you do what I want anyway.” 

Eve grew a smile when she noticed you and Sam were growing nervous from what she was proposing. You were backed into a corner either way. You work for the bitch, or you lose all control of self thinking and turn into the monster you hunted. Eve looked over at the older Winchester, wondering if he was going to change his mind. He wasn't so easy to break from his snarky response to her threats. "Beat me with a wire hanger, answers still no." 

The woman didn’t seem to find his response the least bit funny. In a flash, Eve went from being behind the counter to suddenly looming over Dean’s shoulder, as if she was ready to hurt him. Y Your automatic response was to lunge forward and push Eve's grimy fingers off of the man, but you felt someone snatch you up by the waist and easily dragged you away. You fought all you wanted, but Eve's goon kept you in place, along with Sam after he got the same idea to save his brother from the evil clutches of Eve. The four of you were doomed to watch this play out. 

“Don’t,” Eve leaned forward so her lips were hovering over the man’s ear. She wanted to make it perfectly clear who was in charge here. Mommy was going to make sure Dean knew who was really in charge here from the venomous tone she used. “Test me.” 

Dean looked over his shoulder slightly to look at the monster. She might look like his mother, she might have all of you backed into a corner. But Dean Winchester always had a Plan B hidden up his sleeve to take down the big, bad monster. And if Eve wanted to be his mother, she was going to face the same brutal fate the real Mary Winchester and Ella Y/L/N had. He uttered two words he hoped she would take literally. "Bite me." 

Eve, stupidly enough, decided that she would do just that. Your eyes widened in fear when Eve bent down and sank her teeth into the flesh on Dean’s neck. You heard the man’s name being yelled on the top of your lungs in a panicked tone from what you just witnessed. You tried all you could to get out of the grip of the thing that was holding you, but all it resulted was him gripping his arms tighter around your waist and lifting you up so he could carrying you back farther. You kicked your feet and tried to fight him off, but you suddenly heard the sound of Eve coughing a second after she bit into Dean’s neck to get a taste of him. 

You slowly found yourself stopping your portest when she backed away from him. Eve covered her mouth as she began to violently have side effects that you weren't expecting. Your furrowed your brow tightly and looked over at Dean, who seemed almost unfazed by the situation. Dean got up from the stool and to his two feet. He was pressing down on the wound Eve made while he slowly bled and pulled out an empty bullet shell. You could feel your lips stretching into a small smile at the clever plan he hatched. 

"Phoenix ash. One shell. One ounce of whiskey, down the hatch. Little musty on the afterburn." Dean told the woman his brilliant plan. She must have taken away the guns, but he had a back up. Eve withered in pain from her mistake she made on impulse. The ash was working its magic, destroying the mother from the inside out. "Call you later, Mom." 

Eve couldn't pretend to be anyone's mother anymore. She switched back into the poor woman she had been walking around in. You watched as she began to cough up blood that trickled out from her mouth. Her skin started to become discolored with grey veins that formed into her skin. She was going out in a grotesque way. She gagged and coughed up not only blood, but a bile of something that looked black. It looked like she was melting from the inside out. Eve suffered through the pain until you watched her drop to the ground. Months of trying to stop her...and that was it. She was defeated at once. But it didn’t mean her children were happy about that. 

The moment those Jeffron Starships figured out their mother was dead, all hell broke loose. You suddenly felt yourself being shoved against a wall a hand tightly gripping onto your neck. One was coming out of the corner of your eye while others around you attempted to attack Sam and Bobby. But since Eve was dead, it meant that nothing was holding Cas back anymore. He managed to shout, "Shut your eyes!" to you and the boys when he devised a plan to save all of you from being torn limb from limb. You managed to do just that. You dropped to the ground when the thing holding you was blinded. You managed to cover your eyes with your arms before the entire diner engulfed in a blinding white light. 

Every person in the diner, except for the exception of the four of you, were now dead, their eyes burned out of their sockets. You let out a quiet sigh at the amount of bodies littering this place. It wasn't like this was going to end differently. You turned your attention away from the dead bodies and to Dean, who was sitting again, nursing his wound after he pulled out a bandana from his jacket pocket help stop the bleeding. You stepped over to him and gave him a small smile. You placed your hand on top of his and pressed down to help stop the bleeding for a bit.

“Hey, Cas,” You got the angel’s attention while he was looming over Eve’s dead body. “Dean’s bleeding pretty badly. Mind lending us your healing hands?”

"I think she turned me into a Jefferson Starship. Could you clear that up, too?" Dean asked the angel for a favor. Cas stepped forward, and with a simple touch to the hunter's shoulder, he was good as knew. You dropped your arm back to the side as Dean hesitantly lifted up the bandana to see if he was mildly better. Only the wound was gone, no trace of blood to be seen. "All right, we're good. We gotta go. Now." 

“Where?” Cas asked. 

“The kid. He’s one of them.” You said. The angel rolled his eyes in anger from where you were asking him to take all of you. You knew damn well he told all of you that you couldn’t trust Ryan from the moment you saw him. But you had to learn the hard way. You knew this was the argument you thought you had settled resurfacing again, but you were in no mood to hear it. "Yeah, I know, Cas. You told us, all right? Let's just go." You watched as Cas shook his head, you couldn't stop yourself from what you let slip out of your mouth. "You can judge us later. Right now a child's life is at stake here. Maybe for once you should do something right." 

Cas managed to get the four of you from one part in town to another in the matter of seconds. You weren't standing in the diner anymore, but now in the middle of the living room of the uncle who was supposed to be providing a safe home for Ryan and Joe. But it turned out he was doing a horrible job at that. You stared at his dead body that laid on the ground, his neck and shirt covered in blood. You took a wild guess this was the work of his nephews. 

“So we kill the wicked witch and she still wins. I mean, they could’ve turned half the town by now.” Dean said. He let out a frustrated sigh from how sour this situation ended up. All he wanted to do was save a few kids. Only it turned out to be the worst thing he could have done. Dean looked away from the dead body to see Cas' constant judgemental glare. "Don't say it." 

Bobby began walking around the house to see if he could find any trace of the Silver boys while the four of you stood in the living room. The older hunter stepped off into the hall and searched into each room. When they all seemed to be empty, he stepped over to a shut door. Twisting the knob, Bobby stepped back when he opened up the door, and not to his surprise, the lifeless body of Ryan fell out. His older brother just a few stairs down. "Found them." 

You and the boys rushed over to where you heard Bobby coming from to discover the gruesome sight yourselves. You found yourself letting out a curse of swear words at the sight of Ryan and Joe. "Well, who ganked them?" Dean asked the most important question of all. 

Sam stepped forward when he noticed something in the doorway. He crouched down and traced a finger across the substance he seen plenty of times before. A pale yellow color, the pungent aroma of rotten eggs lingered around the air. It was sulfur, which meant…”Demons.” Sam said. He pushed himself back up to his feet, an uneasy look settled into his face from what he discovered. You crossed your arms over your chest and remained silent when he asked all of you a question. All of this was too much, too confusing for you to think about. "So, what do you think?"

"I think that demons don't give a crap about monster tweens unless they're told to." Dean said, putting in his two cents about what was going on here. 

"So you think she was telling the truth?" You couldn't help yourself but ask. You were hinting around the demon who might have been in charge for this hit, among other things you didn't want to say out loud. Just the thought of it alone made you wrap your arms tighter around your body. Cas seemed confused at what all of you were talking about. You forced yourself to look at the angel—the one who was responsible for killing Crowley. Who told you that you were human. "She said that Crowley's still kicking." 

"But I burned his bones. How could—" Cas was baffled as all of you from what Eve told you. He stopped himself mid-sentence and looked away from you. You kept your gaze on him. You watched as his eyes squinted slightly, like he was thinking about that night all those months ago. "Was she certain?"

“Sounded pretty sure. According to her, Crowley’s still waterboarding her kids somewhere.” Dean said. The angel still wasn’t understanding how this was possible. He was certain that he had burned the proper bones. “Well, he’s a crafty son of a bitch.” 

"I'm an angel. I'll look into it immediately." Cas reassured all of you, and without another word, he was gone from your sight. He stranded all of you here to find your way back home. 

"Cas!" Dean shouted the angel's name, hoping to get his attention before he strayed too far out of earshot. "Let us know what you find out." 

You felt your stomach twist into knots from the possibility that your worst fear was coming true. Crowley being alive, you...still being you. It didn't make sense when you thought about it. There was no evidence. No trace of a memory, not a feeling of anger or violence to hurt someone. You felt like you were being pulled in too many different directions. Sam and Bobby seemed to have felt just as uneasy. Dean, however, didn't seem to understand why all of you looked on edge. Cas was your friend. He wanted to help. He wouldn’t do something to put all of you in jeopardy. 

"How did Crowley get away?" Bobby couldn’t help himself but ask. Dean seemed to be the only one not questioning the possibility of your angel screwing up big time. “I mean, it’s not like Cas to make mistakes like that, unless…” 

“Unless what?” Dean asked, wanting to know what the older hunter wanted to say so badly. 

“Unless he meant to.” Bobby finished his thought. 

"Bobby, this is Cas we're talking about. He wouldn't do something like this." You said, jumping to the angel's defense from the speculation. You felt yourself breaking out into a smile as you let out a quiet laugh from how paranoid they were being. You looked over at Sam to see that he didn't find all of this the least bit funny. Your smile slowly faded. You felt yourself sober up when you realized the younger Winchester was on Bobby’s side. "Do you believe this, Sammy?”

"Look, it's probably nothing. It's just..." Sam couldn't help himself when he thought about this situation a bit more with finer detail. Cas hadn't been himself the past year. He wasn't the same angel he remembered the year before when the apocalypse was happening. Cas would have done anything to help all of you. But he had been distant, preoccupied with other things. You stared at him with a serious look, he let out a sigh and shook his head. "You know what? You're right. It's probably nothing." 

Damn right it was nothing. Cas was your friend, he wouldn’t do anything to hurt or lie to you. He might have made an accident. He was preoccupied with Heaven and the big fight that he was going up against. Why would he let Crowley go scot free? It didn't make sense. Unless...No, that wasn’t even possible. There was no way Cas was working for Crowley. It was easy to think at first. But all of you had unspoken theories lingering in the back of your mind from how the angel had been acting over the past year. 

Cas had been so adamant on keeping Sam was without a soul, but the younger Winchester was just fine. The moment he realized you knew about your demon side and the torture you inflicted on Eve’s children he made up some truth, and maybe even a lie, to wipe your memory clean. He did all of it because he was a caring friend. Cas wanted to see all of you safe. It was easy to think...but you weren’t sure anymore about him, or any of the effort you put into the year before to make yourself human was the worst decision you could have made. 

\+ + +

"Ding, dong. The wicked bitch is dead!" 

You happily clanked your shot glass against Josh's when you proudly whispered your accomplishment from the night before. You sat in a busy bar not too far from Bobby's house after you snuck out without the boys knowing where you were exactly going. You had gotten home just yesterday, and your brain was still trying to comprehend what was happening. The fact that Eve was dead was probably the only thing you managed to understand. You decided to go out for drinks to celebrate the accomplishment thanks to one of your good friends. Both of you took your shots and swallowed them down. Josh had a harder time taking down the whiskey when he winced at the burning feeling that slipped down his throat. 

“Oh, that is so worse than what I remembered from college.” Josh said. He let out a breath and followed the shot by taking a sip of his beer. You let out a chuckle and reached for your drink to take a quick sip to cleanse your palette for the next one you ordered. "Now, Y/N, since you saved the world once again, what is the next thing on your agenda? Taking a vacation? Abolishing world hunger?"

“What do you think of Cas?” You answered your question with another. Josh gave you a funny look from what you asking, seeming to think it was a little out of the blue for the conversation you were having. "I'm serious. Like, what is your honest opinion on the guy?”

"I don't know. I only met him twice. Not much to go on.” Josh shrugged. You tilted your head slightly, knowing that wasn't what you were asking. "He seems like an interesting guy. A little strange, but all around good." 

"Do you think he was telling the truth? About me?" You wondered. You knew it was a matter of time until you let the conversation linger around why you dragged him out here. Josh's expression slowly changed. He set his drink down and put his full attention forward. You avoided the topic as you grabbed ahold of your drink, your finger collecting some of the perspirant that collected around the glass. "When we were talking to Eve....she said a few things. About me, about Crowley. She said that he was still alive and kicking. And that—“ 

“You were torturing Mommy’s monster babies and you’re a...what did people call you? A mutt?” Josh finished your thought, knowing he heard it a few times before. You rolled your eyes from his cynical tone of voice. “I thought we put this to bed.”

“That was before found sulfur at the boys’ uncle’s house after Eve told us she changed the youngest one. Now, why would a couple of you-know-what would want to hurt you-know-who.” You asked the man sitting across from you. You didn’t say demon and you wouldn’t dare speak the murder of two children caught up in deadly circumstances that shouldn’t have involved them in the first place. Josh fell silent from what you told him. You let out a sigh. “It’s more than that. She looked like my mom, Josh. When she was talking to me about all this demon stuff...I don’t know. It’s getting to me.”

“Don’t let it. She was messing with you. Trying to make you feel like you disappointed her. It’s all psychosomatic.” Josh said. He leaned in his seat and grabbed his beer. “She probably wanted to make you feel inferior. Appear like your dead mother and talk about the monster Ella made you become. Make you think all of that hard work you put into was all for nothing. But it wasn’t. You   
human, Y/N. Cas said so.”

“Cas also said Crowley was dead. And he’s not. He can’t be.” You shot back at him, suddenly hating how all smart he got. How he talked about your mother like she was to blame for all of this. “Eve looking like my mom and telling me about my demon side made me rethink this past year. It’s like your mom points out something simple. Like how weird your laugh is or how you put on a couple of pounds. You don’t think too much about it until you want to laugh or you start eating something...suddenly you feel self conscious about everything you do. You subconsciously monitor your behavior, you go back through old memories. Wonder if you were always like that…”

Josh’s expression softened at what you said, giving him an example of what you were putting yourself through. “Y/N...don’t beat yourself up over this.” He reached out a hand to grab a hold of yours. You pulled back. “None of this is your fault. If you happen to be, you know, we’ll find a way out of this. I promise.”

“All that hard work we put into...God, you think I should know better than to trust a demon.” You muttered underneath your breath. You fell silent for a moment as you leaned back in your seat, your eyes wandering around the bar that was busy for this time of night. For some reason you were expecting to find either Crowley hidden away in this place, smirking to himself and drinking his whiskey of choice. Maybe even Cas. “One thing is for sure,” You looked over at Josh. “Crowley’s next on my list. That son of a bitch is going to get it.”

Josh reached for his beer and remained quiet from your subtle threat. He tried to hide his uneasiness at what you said in a cool and calm tone. He could see the fire burning in your eyes, the anger that was slowly starting to rise to the surface. He wouldn’t have been surprised if your eyes flickered black. But they remained as they were, only troubling him even more for what was to come.


	16. The Man Who Would Be King.

Family. It wasn’t something you could say you had in the blood relatives sense. The people you called family consisted of two brothers you’ve known since birth and an old man who had stuck by your side through thick and thin. You would be the first one to admit your family was dysfunctional and shared an unhealthy from from the stupid things you did for each other. There was selling souls to demons, making deal with the devil, going to hell a few times to save someone you loved so they could live a normal life with a person that wasn’t you. Lying and running away when you wanted to do this funny thing called self-sacrifice for the greater good. Picking fights and sides when one of you didn’t agree with what they had to say. Your family was messed up, but it was one that you grew to appreciate. You considered Cas part of it, despite the bad first impressions you made on each other.

When you first met Castiel, you presumed he was a demon. It was right after you and Dean got pulled out of hell with no answers to who could have done it. The only clue was a burned imprint on the older Winchester’s shoulder. All of you went through a lot of trouble to take him down after you got help from a psychic named Pam to see if you could find out who graciously pulled you out of hell after four months of rotting down there. Pamela attempted to contact this Castiel to see who he really was. She was persistent on putting a face to a name, despite the warnings he gave her to back off. Pamela was a woman who wasn’t afraid easily. But she should have listened to him. When she saw Castiel for who he truly was, she suffered consequences nobody expected to happen. You watched her eyes get burned out of her skull. That’s when you decided to have a face to face with this Castiel fellow to see who he really was.

You thought Castiel was a demon you could take down with the help of Dean and Bobby. When he stepped into the abandoned warehouse house in the middle of nowhere, dodging salt rounds and all sorts of devil’s traps Bobby spray painted every inch of this place, you thought he was something more powerful than you had ever seen before. But still a demon. That’s when you made the move, the one that would work on something like you presumed he was. You took Ruby’s special demon killing knife and plunged it straight into his heart. You thought it was going to kill him. Castiel looked down at that little knife sticking out of his vessel’s chest and grew a smile at what you did. You learned that he wasn’t a demon, but an angel of the Lord. And he was a big pain in your ass.

To Castiel, an angel powerful as him, he looked at you like you were nothing more than a small monster he could take down if he really wanted. Satan’s art project with no worth. You viewed him as a spineless coward who did whatever he was told. Both of you showed your distaste for one another when you were in the same room. However…in time, things started to slowly change between the both of you. It took baby steps to get where you were today.

You had an unconventional friendship with the angel the first year you met him. You didn’t make the best impression on him after you stabbed him in the chest. Castiel ordered you to stay away from the Winchester brothers and threatened your life if you didn’t comply. Of course you didn’t listen, he got angry. Half the time you and him couldn’t spend more than five seconds in a room before you started to argue about what the right and wrong thing to do was. He listened to what Heaven commanded, you did what you thought was good for humanity. But with some time, it seemed you were starting to ever so slowly poison the angel with your way of thinking. You saw a different side to him when you sat in a park bench the day after Halloween to discuss the failure of stopping Lilith from breaking one of the sixty-six seals.

To the angels it might have been a loss. Another seal broken meant you were one step closer to popping Lucifer out of the cage. But you didn’t think of it like that. You and Castiel sat in the park and watched families that weren’t supposed to be alive today enjoying the fresh autumn air and their children’s burst of sugar induced energy. All of them were blissfully ignorant about the threat looming over their heads. To you, seeing all of this people living their lives, it was a win. Because you saved an entire town from being turned into nothing more than dust after a plan backfired. In your line of work it was about saving people first and then hunting the monster.

While enjoying the sight that brought you back to your childhood, the both of you discussed the angel’s possible lack in faith. It might have been Mr. Comatose’s first taste of free will. While discussing so, he mentioned that he might not have raised you from hell like he had with Dean, but he played a part in saving you from going back down there. 

“I can hear what humans pray about if I concentrate enough. Most of its things I can’t fix. Sometimes you humans help each other out. I learned that all you need to do is give them a little push and you take care of the rest. Especially when they see a person is at their most vulnerable state. They always try to do their best and help.”

Demons had been the reason why you were freed from Hell and left to lay in the middle of the empty field, exhausted after spending hours trying to break your way out of a pine box you were born again into. But it was a little girl who lost her way that found you. Castiel had set a path so a family rescued you from dying out there all alone.

Your friendship with Castiel wasn’t perfect, but it was there, slowly growing into something more over the first year the both of you started to get to know each other. You knew he was something special when he had to pick a side–yours or Heaven’s. And he picked yours. He made an attempt to rebel against what he always known to save the world and the people living in it. While the both of you got to see a more humane side, true friendship was seeing the worst in each other. Sometimes the problem you were trying to run from wasn’t so easy. Sometimes you did what you were told without question.

Castiel trying to remain as the good little soldier when he forced you and Dean into the same room with a demon named Alastair, a demon who was responsible for making souls who they were and tricked Dean into torturing you in hell. The both of you were supposed to somehow take what you learned from the very demon himself and use his techniques on him to torture some answers out of him. All it ended was Alastair getting loose and nearly killing you after he beat you within an inch of your life. You found yourself slipping down a dark path when the apocalypse was right around the corner. When Lucifer got his hands on you, you gave into what he always wanted. You allowed him to turn you into a demon after he got you drunk off demon blood that he forced down your throat.

But it wasn’t always dark and gloomy times between the both of you. Another part of friendship was seeing the more vulnerable side to each other. Castiel might have rebelled against Heaven, but he wasn’t who he used to be anymore, and with time, it grew more as a burden. The self doubt only grew worse when he sacrificed himself to save you from a stupid plan to possibly stop the end of the world, only it ended him as human like the rest of you. He didn’t think he could help save the day because he wasn’t what he used to be. You found yourself opening up to him when you overheard the words spoken by a broken man and believed they were true after secretly overhearing a conversation between Sam and Dean. While you sat sobbing on the back steps of Bobby’s house, you admitted that you were terrified at the possibility that you would be the downfall to making the Winchester brothers say yes to Michael and Lucifer.

What do friends do in these depressing times? You gave a pep talk to the angel. You reassured Cas that he didn’t need the help of some angel grace to make him powerful and who he was. As a matter of fact, you thought he did more as a regular old human than anything as an angel. He rebelled against everything that he knew to save the world. Cas wasn’t exactly good with words. But he knew enough that someone needed to set Dean straight from the way he was thinking. He promptly hunted down the older Winchester from making the worst decision of his life and beat the crap out of him from everything you and him had done for the man alone.

No matter how rough things started off, things were better. You called Castiel your friend up until you saw him explode into nothing more than guts and blood in the cemetery field at the hands of Lucifer himself. You were left wondering for a year after you came back from the cage if he was dead. For months you sat and prayed. You just wanted a simple peek of him to know that Cas was all right. That’s all you really wanted. All you had gotten was complete silence, until Dean said a little prayer–and just like that, Castiel appeared after a year of giving you the cold shoulder to say hello. You were rightfully pissed off. You didn’t really want answers about Sam, you just wanted to know your friend was okay. But he couldn’t do that. And it hurt more than you wanted to admit. Because, all though your friendship was complicated from the beginning, you thought it turned into something genuine at the end.

Your friendship with Cas differed from the ones you shared with Sam and Dean. You and Sam were close because he was like your little brother, you both shared a bond over nerdy things and yet you teased one another relentlessly. But you also understood about the evil path life had paved out for you. And each of you constantly pulled one another back from the edge. Dean was your best friend as well, but he was also the love of your life. He was your better half, the one who made you feel safe and secure when things got tough. His humor was off and you rolled your eyes at the crude things that came out of his mouth, yet you found yourself laughing. Both of the boys were important to you. Yet…none of them shared a friendship the way you and Cas had.

You and the angel shared a bond about rebelling against who you were supposed to be. You shared things with one another and helped out much as you could. But over this past year…Cas was different from what you remembered him being. He wasn’t focused on the people, but the supposed fight brewing again upstairs. He didn’t talk about it. He was distant from all of you and made a mistake you still couldn’t fathom. How could he burn the wrong bones? You thought he was smarter than that. You’d be the first to admit you made a few mistakes in your time. You were trying not to hold it against him. Maybe it was an accident. But if Eve wasn’t lying about Crowley being alive, what else had Cas screwed up?

\+ + +

Sometimes being a hunter wasn’t always about saving the day and killing a monster. Sometimes you had to get your hands dirty and do things you weren’t proud of. Torture was a method that worked on everyone. Monsters and humans of all kinds. If Crowley was still alive and torturing his little black heart out on Eve’s creatures, it meant he had his idiot demon’s do al the dirty work since all of the hunters who he had working for him were gone. You managed to find one just a few days ago while hunting a vamps’ nest a few states back. He might have been the easiest thing you were ever able to catch. Now he sat underneath the devil’s trap in Bobby’s house, chained to a chair and in the company of three hunters, yourself included. You started off things slow by asking him a few questions about his boss, which he responded with a few not so nice threats. You responded by spraying him with holy water. The night for him was just beginning.

“Gotta tell you, Redd. For a filthy, lower-than-snake-spit hellspawn, you seemed ot turn yourself into a damn fine hunter.” Bobby complimented the demon as he sat himself down on a stool right across from him. You snickered quietly to yourself as you stood back with Sam standing by your side. “I don’t know whether to kill you or kiss you.”

“Oh please, kill me” The demon bared his teeth as he forced a grin from what the hunter said. You crossed your arms over your chest when you saw him turn his gaze away from the hunter and to you. One of the things about being a hunter you had to have was a thick skin from the threats that came your way. Along with the sleazy comments thrown in your way. “Unless you’re the one who’s offering. Now, I like that idea.” 

"I like the idea of cutting your tongue out. But I need you talking.” You replied to his suggestion by slipping in a subtle threat and gave him a smile when you got the reason why you seeked him out in the first place. “Now let’s talk about your hunting skills. I gotta say, I’m mighty impressed. That was you that dug out the nest of vamps back in Swan Valley, wasn’t it?”

“That was nice work.” Sam agreed with you as he complimented the demon on his handiwork.

“Eight of them on one go,” Redd bragged about his accomplishment. “roped and tied.”

“And then you brought them to Crowley, right?” Bobby guessed what came next. The demon responded with a chuckle at the presumption.

“Read the papers, redneck.” Redd said. Bobby grew a smile to match the demon’s after being insulted by him. “The king is dead.”

Bobby laughed ever so quietly at what the demon thought. He reached for a canister that sat beside him and splashed more holy water on the demon, making Redd let out a groan of pain as his skin started to sizzle. "Crowley’s alive. You prove it just by being, you poor, dumb jackass.” Bobby told the demon. Redd didn’t seem to like how all of you were treating him. He became awfully quiet as he clenched his teeth together. “Crowley’s alive, his nets are still out. Except now he’s using you schmucks to hunt his monsters.”

Redd’s response was simple enough, “Up yours.”

You didn’t find his answer the least bit funny. You reached out a hand to pull out the very thing that you knew could make any demon squirm in their seat, Ruby’s special knife that could kill these poor schmucks. You smiled ever so slightly when you saw the panic creep into Redd’s eyes. You were about to step forward and get started on the more rigorous part of this interrogation. When you heard the sound of footsteps coming from the kitchen, you looked over your shoulder to see that it was Dean. Your expression changed slightly when you noticed that he looked uneasy. He nodded his head to the other room for you and Sam to follow behind. You raised your finger slightly, knowing that it’d be only a minute before you’d join the boys. You turned your attention back to Redd as Bobby stuck around for a moment longer to see if the demon would start talking when you pulled out the knife to know you were serious about this.

“Hey, Redd. Where’s Crowley?” You asked the demon yet again. Redd responded with silence as he moved his gaze away from you. “No? Nothing? Well, okay then. I’ll be back in a minute. In the meantime, hang on to this for me.” You plunged the demon knife straight into the demon’s thigh, causing him to let out a yell of pain from what you did. His eyes flashed back as he screamed from the agonizing pain. You rolled your eyes from his reaction and headed into the kitchen. "God, they don’t make demons the way they used to.”

You stepped into the kitchen with Bobby to see the brothers were having a hushed conversation among themselves. You noticed that Dean was standing with his arms crossed over his chest and the same tense look on his face he walked in with. You had a feeling what Sam was asking about was someone you hadn’t seen since he disappeared from your sight the night Eve died. You let out a faint sigh when you realized they were talking about Cas, a name that nobody had spoken kindly about anymore since that night.

All of you were split down in the middle of what you think of the angel. Sam and Bobby were unusually apprehensive whenever someone mentioned Cas’ name into the conversation. Ever since they learned that Cas had possibly left Crowley to live, they found the situation a bit…out of the ordinary. Cas wasn’t known for letting demons get the slip on him. He was the most puncutional out of all of you. The angel knew the consequences if he let Crowley slip out like this. He was the bigger picture kind of guy. If Crowley found a way to get all those souls from purgatory, he would be the biggest threat around since Lucifer. There was one explanation to why Cas put on a show…because he was working with Crowley.

Dean wasn’t convinced with the idea much as his brother and other hunter were. He made it quite clear that Cas wouldn’t do such a thing to all of you. Crowley was the enemy. He manipulated all of you into doing his dirty work and tried to kill all of you when you found out the truth. Cas wouldn’t dare do something like that to all of you. While it was quite clear where the three men stood, you found yourself drifting from side to side of who to side with. You wanted to give Cas the benefit of the doubt that he made an honest to God mistake. Accidents happened.

But what was making it hard for you to believe Cas that he was one of the good guys was from the problem he helped you put to bed. He reassured you that the things you heard from people like Samuel and Eve were just empty threats who were the enemy. Why would he lie to you about the very thing you tried so hard to change about yourself? Why would he mistakenly burn the wrong bones and play dumb about it? All you were getting was more questions than any sort of answers to help point you in the direction of who to believe. Maybe you didn’t want to find out the truth about this situation. What if Cas really was working with Crowley and he was the one you were supposed to be afraid of now?

“What’s the hubbub?” Bobby asked. He stepped into the room to overhear the muttered chatter shared between both of the brothers. You bit your bottom lip when the older Winchester brought up a name all of you felt uneasy to hear. Because the conversation drifted to one you didn’t like to discuss. Let alone think about.

“Saw Cas. He popped in on me about two hours back.” Dean said. Bobby’s expression dropped slightly as he questioned the man what he discussed with the angel. “Nothing. All right? Told him were on some monster hunt. He doesn’t know that we’re getting close to Crowley.”

“Good.” You said in a quiet voice. “We should keep it this way until we get his hands on that son of a bitch and straighten this situation out.”

Dean let out a sigh from what all of you were doing. You didn’t like it much as him, but you had to keep your distance from the angel until you knew what was the truth. “You know, he’s our friend. And we are lying to him through our teeth.” He said. The older Winchester cut off his brother when Sam tried to defend the reason why all of you were doing this. Dean was still trying to keep his loyalty to the angel and come to his defense when one of you tried to deny all of the accusations being thrown against Cas. “So he burned the wrong bones. So Crowley tricked him.”

“He’s an angel.” Bobby said, as if that was a good enough of an excuse to show that Cas should have known better than to fall a trick of misidentity.

“He is the Balki Bartokomous of heaven. He can make a mistake.” Dean defended the angel once again. You found yourself rolling your eyes when he looked in the direction of Bobby when he tried to look for any sort of excuse to deny the accusations against Cas.

“Nobody’s saying nothing yet.” Bobby said.

“You think Cas is in with Crowley?” Dean questioned the older hunter with the accusation nobody had the guts to say until now. You felt yourself becoming overwhelmed with a disturbing feeling when you even thought about it. Hearing it was a whole other emotion you weren’t sure how to describe. “Crowley?”

“Look, I’m just saying I don’t know.” Bobby defended himself against the older Winchester’s brutal judgement. “Now, look, I hate myself for even thinking it, but I don’t know.”

“Look, Dean, he’s our friend too, okay?” Sam reminded his older brother. He wanted to be wrong about this, but in these times when the answers were unclear, all of you needed to be cautious of who the enemy was here. “And I’d die for him, I would. But, look, I’m praying we’re wrong here.”

“But if we aint, if there’s a snowball of a snowball’s chance here…that means we’re dealing with a Superman who’s gone dark side.” Bobby said. You and the boys stood there in silence from the situation you were dealing with. All of you had the same overwhelmed, troubled look on your faces. You didn’t want Cas to be the bad guy here, but you didn’t want to be stupid and get caught up with looking for the good in him you get hurt. “Which means we’ve gotta be cautious. We gotta be smart. And maybe stock up on some kryptonite.” 

Dean knew damn well Bobby was right about this one. He remained silent for a few moments before he looked in your direction, “This makes you Lois Lane.”

"You wish.” You muttered. Dean never failed to make you smile even in the most tense moments. But it only lasted for a few seconds before you were plunged back into the reality of the situation. “Look, one more problem at a time here. We gotta find Crowley before that bastard cracks open purgatory.”

Sam and Bobby headed back into the next room to continue on speaking to the demon that was waiting ever so patiently with the knife stuck in his thigh. Dean lingered behind. You walked over to him and placed a hand on his back. You knew he was taking this the most hardest out of all of you. He was trying his damn hardest to stay loyal to his friend, but still trying to figure out the truth to this messy situation. You and Dean stared at one another for a moment, not realizing that there was someone standing right next to you, overhearing the entire conversation that was about him. Cas could see the both of you were struggling to pick a side of who to trust.

“Where’s Crowley?” Bobby’s question brought your attention back to the demon chained up in the next room. You walked over to the sight when Redd responded with the same sarcastic answer he told all of you before. Bobby wasn’t amused like he was last time. Instead of throwing holy water in the demon’s face, the hunter gripped the handle of the knife and began to twist it ever so slowly, eliciting a scream of pain from the demon.

“I don’t know where Crowley is.” Redd admitted in an almost defeated tone. All of you barely got started on him and the thing was already ready to give you all the answers you wanted.

“Are you sure about that?” Bobby asked the demon. He reached up a hand ever so slightly to touch the knife. Even that caused the demon to squirm in his seat in fright from the agonizing pain he felt. “‘Cause we can twist again all the way to next summer.”

“No. No, God. I never even met him.” The demon said. He let out another piece of the truth slip out. Bobby gave mercy on the sad sack and stopped twisting the knife to give Redd a moment to compose himself and finish what he had to say. “I don’t deal with Crowley direct.”

“Well, who do you deal with?” Bobby questioned him.

“The dispatcher.” Redd said. You raised your brow ever so slightly from what you were hearing. It might have been possibly the best lead you could have gotten. “A demon named Ellsworth.”

It didn’t take much brainpower to realize this demon Ellsworth had the most facetime with the boss. All you needed to do was find out where he was. You and the boys could easily make him tell you where Crowley was. And when you found out where that son of a bitch was, you could straighten this situation out once and for all.

\+ + +

It didn’t take much effort for you to make Redd cough up an exact location of where you would be able to find this Ellsworth, his direct boss who had the most face time with Crowley himself, the one you were really after. Redd might have been the easiest demon of his kind you’ve ever tortured for answers. He folded under when you shoved the demon knife into his thigh and then twisted it one-eighty before he was spilling all sorts of information he knew you wanted to hear. You finished the job by yanking out the knife from his leg and proceeding to plunge it into his neck to finish him off. It was safe to assume these demons rode out the poor bastards they possessed until they were good as dead when you killed the very thing inside of them. When you searched up the location to make sure it was legit and the boys burned the body, all of you jumped on the only lead to finding this Ellsworth.

Red admitted if there was a demon equivalent to Bobby Singer, it would be Ellsworth. Apparently he was the one in charge of finding monsters for his demons turned hunters to track down and string up for their boss before handing them off himself. You found it funny at the mere thought of a demon sitting in a cabin the middle of the woods dressed in flannel and a trucker hat, spending his days answering phone calls and impersonating an FBI agent to find a shape shiftier or a vamp to please their boss. Crowley didn’t have much of a choice nowadays to make these poor schmucks do all his dirty work now that all the hunters he had wrapped around his finger were now either dead or he had no leverage against you and the boys.

You were at the location of the cabin by the afternoon. Sam and Bobby to the back entrance as you stuck with Dean the both of you took the front door, giving the demons inside no chance of running with the place surrounded. You secured your grip around the shotgun when Dean lifted up his leg and kicked the door wide open. He went inside first as you swiftly followed behind. The both of you were expecting a few pissed off suckers from what you did. But the sight you were greeted with was all too strange. The entire cabin didn’t look like what you expected. It was spotless. No trace of a book or even a map was around the place.

“Hey,” Sam quietly walked into the front of the house with Bobby behind him after they took a sweep of the place. “Clear from the back.”

You didn’t know what the hell was going on here. You wondered if you got some bad intel from Redd. But from the sheer look of panic and terror on his face, no demon was that good of an actor to fool you. This had to be the right place. But where the hell was Ellsworth and his demon hunters? You cautiously peered into the next room when you approached a corner. Not a soul was in this cabin except for the four of you.

“I don’t get it.” You muttered underneath your breath. “Demons get tipped and bugged out?”

“Maybe they run from us now.” Sam said, giving you a suggestion that was too good to be true. You let out a quiet scoff and rolled your eyes from the presumption that you could only wish to be true. All of you may have a reputation in the supernatural world, but you weren’t that scary to have monsters running in the opposite direction. “I mean, that’d be a nice thought, right?”

“Yeah, if that’s what happened.” Bobby said, knowing damn well it was too good to be true.

Dean instructed his brother to take a sweep of the next room when a hand gesture as Bobby went off to the other room to see if he could find anything. The older Winchester followed behind his brother to be back up. You found yourself lingering behind for a moment. You stood on top of where the desk was, sitting on top of a small ledge with a two-step staircase leading you to the way. You had a perfect vantage point of the entire living space. You looked everywhere to see if you could find a trace of anything—a piece of paper, a drop of blood. But you found nothing. Not a single trace of evidence to show a demon had been holding up here for God knows how long.

“Where the hell are you when we need you, Cas?” You found yourself speaking out in the open in the most quiet voice you could muster up without anyone hearing you beside yourself.

You knew you were supposed to be keeping his name out of your mouth from what happened. It was clear as day that Crowley was still alive and well. Still looking for damn purgatory with the help of his demon hunters who were smarter than you gave them credit for. Unless they were tipped off by someone else and they scurried out of here. All of this was just more evidence to prove that Cas had burned the wrong bones. But the real unanswered question remained—was it by pure accident? Was it done to trick you and the boys to back off while Cas and Crowley searched for purgatory? Cas working with a demon…standing by while you unwillingly participated in the hunt after Crowley pulled you out with something extra.

You rubbed your face with your hand at the thought that was too preposterous to be true. Cas was a lot of things, but he wasn’t what you would call selfish. He wouldn’t hurt a friend to get his hands on something he had never showed interest in. You found yourself leaning towards the idea that all of this was just an accidental mistake. Crowley was a tricky demon with all sorts of things hidden up his sleeve to come out as the winner. Cas wasn’t working with the enemy. You let out a sigh and stepped down to help the boys make a thorough search of this place to make sure it was completely clear. Little did you realize there was an angel on your shoulder.

Cas was around here in the cabin, but you didn’t seem him watch you disappear from his sight. He wasn’t here to help clear his name from the accusations being thrown around. Because he knew if he showed up, all of his hard work of trying to steer all of you off the path would make him look suspicious. And the truth would all come tumbling out. About his hiding, the lying. How he killed Ellsworth and his demon’s working for him. They’d surely spill where Crowley was. He knew what you and the Winchesters were capable of. And Cas couldn’t have that. All of you would have to remain in the dark until the time was right.

“Hey.” You had been aimlessly wandering around the front of the house, not sure what you were looking for anymore when the Bobby and the boys came back from their search. Sam’s voice broke your concentration and pacing around the room. He gave you the news that were hoping wouldn’t be the outcome. “The place is clean.”

“Yeah, but it’s…” Bobby shook his head from the bad feeling he was getting as he stepped out from the kitchen area through a pair of french glass doors. “It’s like Mr. Clean clean, you know? It’s kind of OCD for your average demon.”

“Cleanliness is next to godliness. But I doubt those suckers were aiming for that.“ You said. You crossed your arms over your chest when Sam asked all of you should do next. "This feels like the point where we’d call Cas.”

Sam stared at you with a surprised look at the name you mentioned, “What?”

“I said,” You repeated the words you spoke just a few seconds before. “this is usually the point where we would call Cas for help.”

“We talked about this, Y/N.” Bobby said. Sam let out a sigh from what you were proposing to do. “You said yourself we should be keeping our distance from him.”

“I’m just saying what we would do if circumstances were different. I still think we should keep our distance from him, but yet again…really, guys? You really think Cas is working for Crowley?” You asked the two hunters. “I’m team Switzerland here in this little fight that we’ve got going on. I don’t think Cas is guilty or innocent. Still…Cas has done a lot for us. Don’t forget that.”

“Y/N’s got a point. This is Cas, guys.” Dean agreed with your side of the argument. He went on the defense for the angel that he viewed as his best friend. Another brother in this dysfunctional family of yours that he would do anything for. “I mean, when there was no one and we were stuck, and I mean really stuck, he broke ranks. He has gone to the mat, cut and bleeding for us, so many frigging times. This is Cas. Don’t we owe him the benefit of the doubt, at least?”

The thick silence that followed after the reminder of how the angel rebelled against everything he once held onto so deeply made all of you realize the consequences Cas dealt with help you. He sacrificed himself to save you, he died right up until the bloody end. You kept to your firm belief that Cas wouldn’t do something like this. Sam let out a sigh and decided to give the angel the benefit of the doubt. He closed his eyes and decided to say a little prayer. “Castiel, this is really important, okay? Um…we really need to talk to you.”

Sam slowly opened his eyes when he spoke out to your fellow friend. You looked around the cabin to see that it remained with just the four of you, no angel in a trench coat to be seen. Most of the time Cas was silent to you or Sam’s prayers. Dean decided to give it a try, knowing he was the one with the best kind of luck. “Castiel, come on in.” He expected to be greeted with the familiar sounds of wings flapping in the distant. But when you were greeted with nothing but silence, you knew well enough he wasn’t coming. “Cas is busy.”

“It’s all right. We are too.” You reached out and lightly patted Dean on the shoulder, giving him a reassuring smile that the angel must have been out there deep in his search for answers. You began walking to the front door with Sam by your side. “Come on, boys. We’ve got work to do.”

“Back to square one.” Bobby muttered the bad news. He stood where he was for a moment as Dean lingered behind you and his brother. He took slow steps forward until he stopped in the middle of the room. You rested the shotgun against your shoulder when you knew you weren’t going to be needing it today.

“Great. Well, what do we do now?” The older Winchester asked an important question. All of you were at a dead end from the lead you were so adamant on following. But it seemed you had underestimated the enemy on this one. They weren’t stupid as you thought they’d be.

“Well, we caught one hunter demon before, we can do it again.” Bobby said.

You shrugged your shoulders and turned back around to face the two men that were standing behind you. Your eyes were focused on Dean, but you found them moving forward to a blurry figure that came out of nowhere. You yelled the older Winchester’s name on the top of your lungs to warn him about the person approaching him. But it was too late when he was tackled to the ground. You attempted to take a shot at what you could only guess was a demon. But before you could pull on the trigger, you were so caught up in protecting Dean, you didn’t realize there was a demon for all of you. You felt someone take ahold of your gun to use it like a baseball bat, whacking your head roughly with the barrel, making you stumble the ground at the impact.

You tried to brush off the pain throbbing in the side of your head as you reached for the demon knife hiding in your back pocket. Before you could reach it you were roughly being pushed up to your feet and slammed against the wall. You felt a hand tightly grip around your throat, cutting off your oxygen supply. You found yourself staring into the dark and soulless eyes of the demon that got the jump on all of you. Your lips stretching into a snarling frown when the demon holding you smirked at the position he got you in. Your displeasure only grew worse when the demon passed on a message from the king of hell himself.

“Crowley says hi.”

You attempted to get yourself free by kicking your way out of the position and then throwing a punch when he was caught off guard. But it seemed the demon had a clue of what you were going to do. You felt your head hit against the wall when the demon threw a punch, stunning you for a moment. But it was only the first of many he planned on giving you. All of you were caught in a compromise you knew you couldn’t get out of. You felt the demon throw at least a handful of punches as you felt the burning sensation in your lungs begin to become more noticeable. But the feeling didn’t last very long when someone came to your rescue.

You were stunned more by the blinding light that seeped through the eyes and mouth of the demon choking you, because you knew there was only one person who was capable of doing that. You felt his grip around your neck loosen as you slid to the ground. You managed to catch yourself before you could fall as you leaned yourself against the wall, inhaling a breath of air before letting out a cough from the painful sensation settling in your face at the bruising you knew was going to be forming soon after what the demon did to you. When you managed to compose yourself, you looked up to see that it was Castiel himself—in the flesh.

“My, my.” You weren’t sure if you should have been concerned for how well his timing was, or happy at the fact he saved all of you from getting your asses kicked by a couple of demons. You decided to stick with being thankful at how the angel managed to save your asses, yet again. “It’s mighty good to see you, Cas.”

“Are you all right?” Cas asked all of you in a concerned voice.

“Yeah.” Sam reassured the angel. You looked over at the younger Winchester to see that he was back on his feet after being flipped over and forced to break his fall on a wooden table. He stared at the angel with a slightly surprised look to see he was here after ignoring his prayers only to see him here. “Perfect timing, Cas.”

“I’m glad I found you. I come with news.” The angel said. You raised your brow in curiosity as to what it could be. Only it was something you learned just a moment ago from his goons that he set to kill all of you. “I firmly believe Crowley is alive.”

“Yeah. You think, Kojak?” Dean let out a forced chuckle from the bad timing the angel had as he shook his head before looking down at the ground of the four demons who got the jump on you, professing the name of the demon who put out the hit on your life. You had to admit…the timing was a bit odd. It was almost too perfect. But you didn’t let yourself think about the detail. You were happy to see Cas again, because it proved that he wasn’t the bad guy here. He was your friend. And Dean made sure to make that clear to those who might have forgot. “Well, Bobby, what do you think about Cas saving our asses? Again?”

“I think we owe you an apology.” Bobby said with sincerity in his voice. He even went as far as to give the angel a smile from the accusation that he had thought might have been true just the night before. After today’s debacle, it seemed all of you could clear the air.

“Why?” Cas asked, unsure what the apology was due for.

“We’ve been hunting Crowley this whole time. And keeping it from you” Sam admitted the real reason why. He felt guilty for lying to a friend and sneaking around like he was the enemy when he admitted it out loud.

“We thought you were working with him.” Bobby added another accusation he presumed of the angel into the conversation. You knew how bad it sounded when you spoke it out loud. To think Cas would do something like that made you smile slightly when the angel was baffled at such a thing the younger Winchester and Bobby could presume from someone like him.

“I know. It’s crazy, right?” Dean chuckled.

“It’s just you torched the wrong bones—” Bobby brought up the reason why all of you were lead into thinking this. You looked over at the older hunter and gave him a signal to stop beating a dead horse. There was no way all of that was done on purpose. And Bobby knew that. He stopped himself from bringing it up again. “It doesn’t matter. We were wrong.”

“You know,” Cas took a few steps forward to approach the four of you. It seemed that he wasn’t upset about the accusations, but the sneaking around you did behind his back that hurt him the most. “You could have just asked me.”

“And we should have. But it would have been kind of weird, don’t you think? I mean, ‘Hey, Cas. Are you working with Crowley to find purgatory?’ It sounds so silly just saying it out loud. ”You said, smiling at the angel. You found humor in the situation as relief washed over you at how all of this was cleared up once and for all. “We should have never doubted you. We just hope you can forgive us.”

“It’s forgotten.” Cas said. And just like that, the situation seemed to have been cleared up. There was no more walking on eggshells and pretending that Cas was the enemy, because he was your friend. And friends wouldn’t hurt each other like that. You grew a smile and let out a slow sigh of at how easy this situation was resolved.. The angel found himself slightly chuckling when he began to think more about the reason why all of you were so secretive around him. “It is a little absurd, though.”

“I know, I know.” You said. “These bozos have a wild imagination sometimes.”

“Superman going to the dark side.” Your smile grew slightly wider, to the point where your cheeks hurt because of how you were forcing yourself to fake it. You heard that line before. Because it was the exact same line Bobby used last night. When you thought it was just the four of you and that demon you were torturing…when Cas was nowhere to be seen. You could feel your emotions do a complete one-eighty. But you didn’t let it show. "I’m still Castiel.”

“That, you are. Our lovable, trustful angel.” You refrained yourself from saying that he wouldn’t do anything to hurt you. Because who knew what the hell to believe anymore. You had to believe he didn’t just accidentally jumped in on Dean when he was riding back. Cas must have followed him to Bobby’s and listened in on the conversation…maybe even about the part about the demon you were about to get the jump on. “I guess we can put away the kryptonite.”

Cas couldn’t have agreed more with that. Because all of you trusted him again like how friends do. And you did…until he made it all come crashing down quick as he gained it back. All it took was for a simple line to be said for you to feel like he ripped the carpet straight under your feet. He knew all of you were going to be here. Cas knew there was a chance Ellsworth would crack just like the other demon. And if he did, Cas would be in some hot water. But you found yourself smiling at the angel, praying to God that he was just being helpful. That he really wasn’t for Crowley. Because if he was, that meant he was lying about other things that you didn’t want to believe were true.

\+ + +

Your brain kept denying the truth that stared you right in front of your face. Castiel, the angel you didn’t always see eye to eye with about everything—the one who would do anything to help—wasn’t working for Crowley. He couldn’t be apart of this entire mess that you spent all these months trying to stop. You confided in him about the deal you made with Crowley as well about the reason you coming back from the cage in the first place. The things Eve said about you that he always reassured you that were just false lies she did to mess with your head. He kept denying, denying and denying…who knew what were and what was the truth anymore.

You looked up from the spot on the ground you had been staring at for the past ten minutes, too consumed with your own thoughts to realize the boys had been watching you with worry about how you were taking all of this. They were shaken up much as you were about the possibility that Cas was really working with the enemy. And what would be at stake here if you found out the truth about yourself. You reached for a glass of whiskey when Bobby offered you one. You didn’t hesitate or wince when you threw back the drink and quickly asked for another one. You needed all the liquid confidence to get through what you were about partake in.

Night had fallen since Cas left here with the reassured mind that all of you were a family again. No problems to be spoken of whatsoever when he would return. Sam wandered around the room with a journal in his hand while his brother sat across from you. The two men exchanged a look, deciding that it was time to get this started if you wanted to learn the truth. Dean let out a sigh and shut his eyes to speak a prayer for your friend to hear. “Castiel, uh…we need you for a little powwow down here, so come on down.”

“Hello.” Cas didn’t hesitate this time to answer the older Winchester’s prayers. You looked over across the poorly-lit room to see the angel himself. You forced yourself to smile and appear happy at the sight of him, even though every instinct in you wanted to rip his throat out.

“Oh, Johnny-on-the-spot.” Bobby said, pretending to be surprised at how quick the angel had responded to Dean’s prayer.

“You’re still here.” Cas noted.

“Yeah, we had to bury the bodies.” Sam explained to the angel.

“And we found a little whiskey.” Dean said, lifting up his glass to show Cas the drink all of you were enjoying. You took another sip of your second serving, this time, taking small sips to savor the burn going down your throat. For some reason the pain calmed you. “Thanks for coming.”

“How can I help?” Cas asked, wondering the reason why you called him down here.

“Oh, look. We, um—We have a new plan.” Sam said. He opened up the empty journal, fooling the angel into thinking it was filled with some sort of notes or research you had conducted in the hours while he was absent. “We think we’ve finally figured out a way to track down Crowley.”

You pushed yourself up to your feet and reached a hand inside your back pocket, pulling out a box of matches when Cas step forward to hear the plan Sam had supposedly come up with. The idiot stepped right into the circle of holy oil Bobby had made. “What is it?”

“It’s you.” You told the angel. Before he could run like the coward that he was, you struck the match and threw it down to the ground, letting a ring of fire engulf around Cas, trapping him where he was. You showed no remorse when the angel was surprised at what you had done to him. You stared at him with a cold expression as you crossed your arms over your chest when he had the audacity to ask what was going on. “We need to talk…’friend to friend.’”

“About what? Let me go.” Cas ordered. You let out a quiet chuckle at his commanding tone of voice, like he had any power here.

“About Superman.” Dean said. He pushed himself up from the seat he had been occupying and walked over to the ring of fire, bringing up the two words that had been the angel’s undoing. His mistake that tipped all of you off that something wrong was going on here. “And kryptonite.”

“How’d you know what I said?” Bobby questioned the angel.

“How long have you been watching us?” Sam didn’t let the angel answer when he followed it up with another one that he demanded to know the truth about.

“You know who spies on people, Cas?” Dean asked the angel. “Spies.”

All of you knew how bad this looked for the angel. The only reason why he would have been listening in on the conversation was would be if he didn’t want all of you to know a piece of information that he was trying awfully hard to hide. But you caught him red handed. There was no where for him to turn, no lie big enough for him to say to make all of this go away.

"Okay, just wait.” Cas said, trying to stop you. “I don’t even know what you mean.”

“What about this demon craphole? How is it so, uh, next-to-godliness clean in here?” You asked the angel. You raised your brow as you waited for him to answer. His silence was your answer that you already expected. So you followed it up with another one. “And how did Crowley trick you with the wrong bones?”

“This is hard to understand. It’s hard to explain.” Cas didn’t exactly come out with the truth right away, but you were smart enough to realize this was his way of softening the blow. He was trying to make himself out to be like he was still the good guy. You could feel your expression slowly drop when you realized what he had done. What he willingly took part in. "Just let me go. Let me out and I can—”

“You gotta look at me, man.” Dean said. He stopped the angel from trying to defend himself and fall silent. Cas looked at the hunter who, through thick and thin, had stayed the most loyal to him. Dean had done nothing but try to believe that Cas was still his friend. You could see the hurt in his eyes from how this was playing out, all in the wrong ways he was hoping wouldn’t be true. “You gotta level with me and tell me what’s going on. Look me in the eye and tell me you’re not working with Crowley.” Cas looked at the man straight in the eye, but that was it. He couldn’t say that he wasn’t working with the king of hell because that would be a lie. Dean looked like he was punched in the gut from what he realized. “Son of a bitch.”

You gritted your teeth as you pressed your nails into your skin, forcing yourself not to break down because of what you were hearing. You weren’t going to grow soft because of this. Cas felt guilty, he felt like the worst thing alive at what he had done. But this was just the tip of the iceberg. There was still more to be said. “Let me explain.” Cas tried to defend himself, but you wouldn’t let him have another word until you found out all of the bloody truth.

“You’re in it with him? You and Crowley have been going after purgatory together?” You asked the angel, already knowing the answer before he could say anything. You inhaled a shaky breath from what you were about to say next. “Let me guess, Crowley wanted some extra help. Someone who knew their way around torture—me. But he knew I wouldn’t do it willingly…so he decided to bring me back as a half demon again. So I’d do whatever he wanted because I swore loyalty. To make sure I never knew, he made me forget everything so I wouldn’t fight it.”

“Crowley wanted to bring back your demon side from the cage. But I persuaded him to make you a half demon again. I made sure you wouldn’t remember the things he forced you to do.” Cas said. He was trying his hardest to sound like the hero here. But the disgusted look on your face told him a far different story. “I lied to you for your own protection. I couldn’t let you rot in the cage. It was the only way—”

“Shut up! Just…Shut up.” You nearly growled at the angel. You stared at him with eyes glazed over from what you were hearing. You found yourself letting out forced chuckle from what was happening, the truth you thought couldn’t get any worse. “You know, it’s not about the fact that you kept me as what I tried so hard to change about myself. Or the fact that you used me. ‘Cause I’m pretty used to that..It’s the fact that you lied to me. Friends don’t lie to each other like this!”

"The Winchesters knew about what you were just as much as I did.” Cas admitted a piece of the truth that you weren’t expecting to come out. You furrowed your brow slightly from what he said, unsure if he was trying to deflect on the conversation and point the finger in the direction of who was to blame. “The night I torched Crowley’s bones, you learned the truth about everything. He forced you to remember the horrific things you had done. If you went on with that knowledge…it would have surely made you turn into a demon again. It was Dean who suggested to wipe your memory so you would be safe.”

“What?” Your face scrunched up at what you heard. You didn’t realize it was Cas’ effort in trying to deflect the blame to someone else on this piece of information. You looked over at Dean, the man who you always put your trust into. The one who you loved you with every fiber of your being. The one you knew who would choose to do the right thing. But you felt for some reason his choice was…wrong. Like he couldn’t trust you with your own ability to keep yourself from controlling the darkness you’ve always felt inside of you. "Why would you do that?”

“The same reason why I didn’t want Sam to know about the cage. To protect you.” You found yourself letting out a chuckle as you rubbed your face with your hands, wondering what that word meant anymore. Protection. Like you were some damsel in distress who needed to be saved from yourself. “Sweetheart, I swear—”

“Don’t ‘sweetheart’ me, Dean. You’re just as bad as Cas.” You hissed at him. You knew it was the wrong thing to say. It made you sound like a hypocrite for what you were doing to Sam, making him ignorant to things he did while he was soulless. But you had the most experience with your body and what your inner demons tried to do. “You idiots think I can’t fight what’s inside of me. I’ve been doing it my whole life. Hell, I fought it off when Lucifer tried to turn me into one. I’m not some little girl. I know damn well what I’m capable of. Maybe…instead of trying to protect me…how about you try to find a way to fix me?!“

“And I did! I found a way to make you human, Y/N. It was just that the timing wasn’t right. I needed you the way you were.” Cas said. He tried to defend his actions at what he had done by admitting that he found a cure to undo all the damage that he had done. But it didn’t wipe away the cold glare on your face. “I did what I had to do to protect all of you.” 

"Protect us how? By lying to us? Forcing me to do something you knew I hated? Or was it by opening up a hole into monsterland?” You questioned the angel. Cas responded with complete silence. “Jump in, buddy. Tell me what you were trying to protect us from.”

“She’s right, Cas. One drop got through and it was Eve.” Bobby agreed with you. The angel’s plan was reckless and would cause more harm than good on this planet. “And you wanna break down the entire dam?”

“To get the souls.” Cas defended himself. You rolled your eyes from hearing that damn word. Souls. All of this was because of his pissing contest with that stupid archangel who wanted to kick start the apocalypse all over again. “I can stop Raphael. Please, you have to trust me.”

“Trust you?” Sam repeated the angel. He was dumbfounded at what he heard after everything Cas had come clean about. “How in the hell are we supposed to trust you?”

“I’m still me.” Cas said. “I’m still your friend.”

“No, that’s where you’re wrong. My friend Cas, the one who I remembered last year—he wouldn’t have done what you did.” You said, shaking your head. “However the Cas I first met…the one who was so wrapped up in doing what Heaven wanted, he’d do what you did.”

“You’re wrong, Y/N. I’ve changed.” Cas said. You looked away from the angel as you were about to roll your eyes from the same excuse he was trying to make all of you believe. Everything that came out of his mouth was cruel and terrible. But he knew one thing that would make all of you believe his intentions were pure. That he was your friend at the end of all of this. “Sam, I am the one who raised you from perdition.”

All of you were taken back at the confession Cas made. For all these months you were lead to believe that Crowley was the one who had pulled you and Sam out from the cage. He had his grubby hands on Sam’s soul, it was the only reason why you hunted down all those monsters. Because he threatened to shove the younger Winchester back into the cage. Only that turned out to be yet another lie. Sam quietly scoffed at what he heard the angel admit.

“Well, no offense, but you did a pretty piss-poor job of it.” Sam said. He meant it in the worst way possible, only he found himself wondering why he did such a terrible job even though he had pulled Dean from hell without a problem. And if Cas had been alright with you coming out the same…the younger Winchester speculated there was more to this situation than his friend wanted to admit. "Wait Did you bring me back soulless on purpose?”

Cas couldn’t make eye contact with the younger Winchester at the accusation for a moment. He looked around the room before forcing himself to look straight ahead at Sam. “How could you think that?”

“Well, I’m thinking a lot of things now, Cas. Mostly about your brilliant plan to crack open purgatory with Crowley. Makes sense the more you think about it. Kinda genius, too.” You said. “Samuel was the brains, Sam was the muscle and I was the one who made those things talk. Let me guess, you only brought back Sam without a soul as leverage. You knew if we found out the truth it’d be the one thing me and Dean would do anything to get back.”

“Listen. Raphael will kill us all. He’ll turn the world into a graveyard.” Cas said, averting the conversation to try and explain his reason to why he had to do what he did. “I had no choice.”

"No, you had a choice.” You said, not falling for the excuses he was using. He knew damn well what he was doing when he made that pact with Crowley and pulled Sam out of hell without a soul. The road to hell was paved with good intentions. He was so blinded by his own troubles he forgot his friendship with all of you to get what he wanted. Power, fear over those who had done nothing but kick him down while he was weak. “You just made the wrong one.”

Cas shook his head, “You don’t understand. It’s complicated.”

“No, actually, it’s not and you know that. Why would you keep this whole thing a secret, unless you knew it was wrong?” You called him out on his weakening attempts at trying to defend himself. You stared at the angel, the one you called your friend for the longest time. Now you weren’t sure what he was anymore. A friend. The enemy? “When crap like this comes around, we deal with it, like we always have. What we don’t do is go out and make another deal with the devil! It only drags you more deeper into this crap. You should’ve learned that from me, you stupid idiot.“

"Yeah, it sounds so simple when you say it like that.” Cas quietly said. You noticed he kept his gaze down to the ground, his eyes wandering in different spots to keep himself from making eye contact with you. Because the angel knew he was wrong about how he handled this situation. You felt yourself smiling in a grim way when he finally looked at you in the eye with those sad little eyes full of regret. “Where were you when I needed to hear it?”

“I was there. I prayed to you every single day and night for that first year I got out from the cage. Hours I spent alone just wondering if you were okay. Because that’s what friends do for each other—they worry. They check up on one another. They don’t lie!” You hissed at him. You found yourself teetering to the edge of anger, but you refrained yourself from getting too deep into this. You let out a sigh and thought about this from a logical standpoint. "I’m not angry at what you did with Crowley. I got the ball rolling on that part. You know what really hurt me? Was the fact that you lied to me. You should’ve come to help for us, Cas. You should’ve been honest with me.”

"Maybe.” Cas muttered. You narrowed your eyes slightly from his response to what you said. However his mind was focused on something else when he heard an ominous sound in the far distance. You heard it a few seconds later. It sounded like a powerful gust of wind coming towards the cabin. “It’s too late. I can’t turn back now. I can’t.”

You peered over slightly to the window to take a peek outside e and see what the ruckus was all about. You found yourself letting out a few colorful words when you saw what could only be an enormous fog of demon smoke coming your way. If you had to take a wild guess who would make a scene like this, it was Crowley. And you had a feeling he wasn’t popping in after all this time to say hello after faking his own death thanks with the help of his friend.

“It’s not too late.” Dean argued with the angel. “Damn it, Cas. We can fix this!”

“Dean, it’s not broken.” Cas said. You should have expected those words to come out of the angel’s mouth. He was so deep down the path of finding purgatory, you wondered if he knew what was right and wrong anymore. But you didn’t have a chance to debate the angel’s moral compass when you noticed Crowley was getting closer. “Run. You have to run, now. Run!”

Cas warned all of you to get the hell out of here before it was too late. You didn’t need to hear him again to listen to his command. You headed for the door when Bobby and Sam rushed out to the gusting winds brewing outside. As you followed behind, you found yourself stopping for a split second to stand just a few feet away from the Impala, taming your hair that flew all over the place to see Dean was standing in the doorway. He was staring at the angel with a disappointed look in his eye. None of you expected for this to happen, not even him. He could feel sorry all he wanted on the way home.

You shouted the man’s name to get him to focus.You waved your hand to for him to join before you rushed yourself inside the Impala for safety. Dean followed behind just a few seconds later. All of you were on the road in the matter of seconds, leaving Cas in that holy ring of fire to face the king of hell. You honestly weren’t the least bit guilty at what you did to him. Cas was a big boy. He got himself into trouble that he’d just have to fix all on his own.

But Cas really wasn’t in much danger when the king of hell showed up on the porch steps after making his grand entrance. Crowley waltzed into the front door to see the angel was in a predicament he couldn’t get himself out of. And as a sign of good faith on their bond they had grown together over the past year, Crowley freed him from the holy fire after making a snarky remark the angel didn’t find the least bit amusing.

“If you touch Y/N or the Winchesters…” Castiel charged forward to the demon once he was free. He presumed all of this was to pick off the hunters who threatened their big plan. But when the angel approached Crowley, the bastard was gone from his sight. He didn’t go too far when the angel turned himself on his heels to see the demon was standing behind him now.

“Please, heard you the first time. I promise, nary a hair on their artfully tousled heads.” Crowley reassured the angel. Castiel didn’t believe the demon. “Besides, I think they’ve proven my point for me. I told you from the beginning we should have just stuck with my original plan. But no…you insisted on bringing all of Y/N out from the cage because she’s your ‘friend.’ It’s always your friends, isn’t it, in the end? We try to change. We try to improve ourselves. It’s always our friends who gotta claw into our sides and hold us back.” Crowley liked to hear himself talk. He liked to be right about things like this. “You know what I see here? A way to fix this. We’ve got what we need to make our plan run smoothly. The new God and the new devil working together.“

“Enough. You stop talking.” Castiel approached the demon until he was mere inches from him. He spoke in a dangerously low tone of voice. He stared at Crowley straight in the eye to prove to the demon that he wasn’t in the mood for backtalk. "And get out of my sight.”

“Well, glad I came. You’re welcome, by the way. I’ve all what we needed to do in order to solve our little vermin problem. All you needed to do was keep her in the dark a little bloody longer until we got her alone. That’s it’s.” Crowley growled at the angel. Castiel didn’t bother to respond to what the demon had said. Crowley began walking forward to the front entrance, but before he did, he left the angel with a few words to think about. "You know the difference between you and me? I know what I am. I uphold my end of the bargains of what people offer me. I don’t drag bystanders into a bloody mess that I can’t control. What are you, Castiel? What are you exactly willing to do to get what you want? Figure out the line between business and friendship. It’ll save you the heartache when you decide to lose both.”

Questions. So many of them being thrown around nowadays, but who wanted to hear the answers? Castiel was left alone in the cabin all by his lonesome. The people that he called his friends had learned the truth about everything. About what the angel had been doing behind their backs for all these months. He was hopeful that he would have had a chance to explain himself, but he had a feeling it would fall on deaf ears. Humans had a hard time hearing things like this. That’s why they lied and pretended like problems like this didn’t exist. Or they run. Because it was easier than realizing the people they cared sometimes hurt them.

\+ + +

It was the dead of night and the entire house was eerily quiet. Bobby retired to his bed while Sam sleep silently on the floor and Dean peacefully rested on the couch. You were wide awake, your mind restless with thoughts of what you should and shouldn’t do. All you knew at this very moment you wanted to be away from everyone that even reminded you of the supernatural world. Screw everything for a few weeks. You knew it could be so easy for you to grab every article of clothing and run away from here. If Cas wanted to open up the world to purgatory to fight his brother, so be it. You were just…tired of it all. Not in the sense that you wanted everything to stop. But you just wanted to be someone else for a change.

You sat at Bobby’s desk and stared at the two boys with a glass of whiskey in your hand. Most of the time it was Dean who sat up with his restless head, wondering what life would be if things were different. What he could do to get that apple pie life. Sure, he had it hard…being uprooted at such a young age. Forced to be a brother and a parental figure to his little sibling while his father brainwashed him into being the perfect hunter. He swallowed down all his emotions for that normalcy because that’s what he was taught. But all of it came back up when the apocalypse was nipping at your heels. He found himself urging for a life filled with a white picket fence and nights around the dinner table with a family that even wasn’t his.

Your entire life you’ve been cushioned and pampered with a lifestyle that was safe. You hadn’t understood the struggles he and his brother went through until you got out on the open road and became a hunter. The idea had been lingering in your head since you learned about the supernatural. From fourteen and until sixteen, up until the moment you saw the yellow eyes of Azazel, you thought about college. You studied your ass off, you took all sorts of AP and college level courses so your transcript was well above your fellow classmates. You kept your nose clean and you pretended to be the good child your mother wanted to be. Because, like Dean, you didn’t know any better. Until you got the taste of what you always secretly wanted.

Now you found yourself consumed with your own personal thoughts and regrets of what you did over this past year. Why didn’t you go straight to Dean when you got out? Why had you been so adamant on letting him stay with Lisa? It should have been who you was in her spot. She really didn’t know him like you did. But you kept your mouth shut and found yourself lulled into the sight of Sam without a soul, which still to this day, you regretted doing what you did. You could call it jealousy, but you knew that would be putting a bandaid on the situation. It was much more than just that.

You knew why you let Lisa have her year with the man you loved and found yourself hiding your true feelings into his brother. Because you put yourself before others. You weren’t the type to be selfish and step on one’s toes to make them feel upset. And when you did try do something you wanted…it backfired in your face. That stupid deal you made with Crowley while you were out of your mind. You kept your mouth shut about your fears because you had bigger problems. Sam’s soul that needed to be fixed. Dean’s constant worried mind, taking down Eve. What were you going to do about what Cas did? Ask him for help in getting you back to normal? Quietly wait until he was done doing what he needed before asking him to fix you? When were you ever going to get the chance to just…not be needed?

Your entire existence was for the purpose to serve others. For your mother it was to have a child and give you everything she never had. The apocalypse you were just the pretty face, Lucifer’s little mutt who was a stand in for the woman who was part of the reason why Lucifer and Michael had their falling out. You were the supposed reincarnation of a woman named Katerina. The universe wrote out your story so you could live through her tragic life. Stupidly trying to fix something that was broken from day one. Only to be turned into something she really didn’t want to be in order to make Lucifer feel a little less lonely. Katerina’s effort to stop the bad blood between both brothers ended up her dying at the hands of the man she truly loved, Michael.

Not to mention you’d been kidnapped so many times by angels demons so they dangled your feet in the fire and make the boys squirm into doing what they wanted. And it worked a few times. But what happens when the enemy who using you happens to be your friend? How do you solve a problem you thought was already fixed? And most importantly, where do you go when all of this is solved?

You leaned back in your seat and outstretched your arm with the glass you were holding. You began to swirl your drink around, watching as the alcohol inside nearly tipped over the edge, but remained in its confinements. “Hello, Y/N.”

You flinched ever so slightly at the sound of Castiel’s gravelly voice. You slowly looked up from the spot on the desk you had been staring at and to the angel standing across from you. In all honesty, you weren’t surprised to see him. “How did you get in here?” You tried to sound a little bit concerned, but you were too tired to care. You looked away from the angel and to the windows painted with sigils you learned from the very thing himself in attempt to keep him away.

“The angel-proofing Bobby put up on the house,” Cas said. “He got a few things wrong.”

“Well, it’s too bad we have to angel-proof in the first place, isn’t it?” You muttered underneath your breath. You brought the drink to your lips and swallowed the whiskey down in one take. You pushed yourself up from your seat and headed for the kitchen so the both of you could talk in privacy. You grabbed the bottle from the counter and contemplated to pour yourself yet another drink. You let out a sigh and put it back down, deciding instead to face the angel who followed you into the kitchen. “Why the hell are you here?”

Castiel took a few steps forward to you, but the cold glare that you gave while you leaned yourself against the counter told him to back off. He left a few feet between the both of you while he tried to answer your question in a hushed voice so he wouldn’t wake the boys. “I want you to understand.”

“What you told yourself to justify everything you did to me and Sam? If so, let me take a wild guess.“ You said. You crossed your arms over your chest as you quietly impersonated his deep voice . "Blah, blah, Raphael, blah. Right?”

“Correct me if I’m wrong, but you did make a deal with Crowley to be brought back as a demon.” Cas said. You shook your head and forced yourself to calm your anger by letting out a chuckle. You should’ve seen him throw that mistake right in your face. So that’s probably why he even agreed to the plan Crowley probably came forward to him with. You secretly wanted to be a demon again, you wouldn’t really care if you found out….only you did.

“Do you let a drunk drive home with a bottle in his hand because he wants to? No, you don’t. Because you would be putting a lot of people in danger. I wasn’t in my right state of mind when I made that deal. I didn’t know what I wanted back then.” You said. You fell silent for a moment as you stared at the angel, waiting to see a change in his expression to show that he felt remorse. Anything to signify that he wanted to change things if he could. “My, God. You don’t feel the least bit guilty over this, do you? I mean, why would you? You didn’t do anything wrong. You only destroyed the very thing we spent months trying to fix.”

“I’m doing this for you. For the boys.” Cas used an excuse that sounded too comical to be true. You bit your bottom lip to keep yourself from laughing as you raised your brow. “I’m doing this because of you.”

“Because of me. Yeah. Where did you learn that from me? When I did ever use my friends for my own advantage? ‘Cause from where I’m standing, you sound a lot like your brothers. You know, the ones we sent to the cage because they wanted us to do their dirty work.“ You pointed out to the angel. You tried your hardest to keep the urge from punching in straight in the face. Because you knew it would hurt you more than him. “If this is you trying to get power, I’m afraid for what’s gonna happen when you do get it.”

“You’re the one who taught me that freedom and free will—“

“Yes, you’re totally right. Because pulling someone from hell and using them for your own advantage is free will. That’s what we fought for all those months!” You cut off the angel, having had enough of his excuses that were empty as his emotions inside that vessel of his. “Sure, I get it. You’re a big time angel now. You can do whatever you need to get what you want. But just because you can doesn’t mean you should!“

“I know what I’m doing, Y/N.” Castiel stated in a quiet, serious voice.

"Do you? Do you really?” You asked the angel. You found yourself dropping the cold exterior to show the angel that his actions would have consequences. Sooner than later all of his choices would bite him in the ass. “I’m not gonna logic you. You’re a big boy. I’m just saying don’t. Quit while there’s still a chance to get out from Crowley’s thumb.”

“I don’t understand why you are against this plan.” Cas said. You rubbed your hands with your face at how ignorant he was choosing to look at the situation. He was so caught up in the big picture he forgot about about the million times demons had screwed you over.

“Look, next to those boys and Bobby, you are the closest thing I have to family. You are like an obnoxious brother to me. And if you haven’t realized it, you’re supposed to be my friend. Sure, we’re not perfect. We fight and we butt heads over everything, but I could always count on you being there for me.“ You admitted to him, your voice dropping slightly as you told him how you really felt about your odd friendship. “I want to help you, Cas. I really do. So if I’m asking you not to do something…You gotta trust me.”

Cas fell silent from what you told him as a side of caution. You watched in the darkness of the night as his eyes fell to the ground. They wandered subtly around the floor until they drew back up to his face. You swallowed when he replied to your warning. "Or what?”

Yo weren’t sure how you wanted to react to his response to what you openly admitted. You had opened yourself up and tried to extend an olive branch after everything that he did to you. And he chose to stomp on it. You straightened out your shoulders and stood a little bit taller. “Well, I’ll do what I have to do to stop you.”

“You can’t, Y/N. You’re just a human.” Cas said, as if that little reminder was supposed to make you feel inferior to him. “I’m an angel.”

You didn’t respond to what he pointed out about what made the both of you different. All though he may have been correct about that matter, you didn’t feel intimidated. And you didn’t even feel sad. You felt…pity. “You know what really makes us different? I had a parent who at least taught me right from wrong before abandoning me. John instilled morals into those boys. What did God teach you to send you down this path?” You instilled a question that you knew he couldn’t answer. "You may be right about me being a measly human, but I’m pretty confident in myself. I’ve taken on some pretty big sons of bitches.”

Cas found himself looking away from you. Maybe it was the guilt you forced him to feel after he started to process what kind of damage he had done to the people that cared for him after his own family casted him out. “I feel sorry for you. I really do. So alone, so unsure of yourself.” You mumbled, shaking your head. “Goodbye, Cas. Hopefully the next time we see each other things will be different.”

You blinked, and like how you expected, Cas disappeared from your sight. But it didn’t stop the ache that sat in the pit of your stomach from how things turned out the way it did. You let out a quiet sigh and ran a hand through your hair, you wracked your brain for anything you could do to get yourself out of here. You leaned your backside further against the counter top, making you feel the outline of your cell phone. You didn’t hesitate a second in reach for the device and sent a text message to possibly the only person you could trust anymore.

\+ + +

You had been the tiniest bit tipsy when you stepped into the bar a little after midnight, the same place you spent enjoying a few beers and shots with Josh to celebrate the victory of defeating Eve. Now you sat in the same booth in the back of the bar with puffy eyes, admitting every little detail to Josh while you nursed your beer. You had texted Josh just seconds after you saw Cas disappear and told him you were in need of a drink. When he pulled up just outside of Bobby’s place and away from the boys, that’s when you finally let it all out, the stress and hurt that had been bottling up over the past day since you got back from learning the truth from Cas. You didn’t remember the last time you cried this hard. But it felt good to let your emotions out and to be in the presence of someone that reminded you of a life before.

“Have you ever been homesick for a place that doesn’t exist anymore?” You asked. Josh titled his head slightly to the side and gave you a curious look, wondering what you meant by that. “I love hunting. I really do. I love the boys with all of my being and even Cas—even though he’s a complete bastard. He’s still my family. I wouldn’t change anything. I’d do anything for them. And I want to keep doing what I do until the day that I die. But, sometimes…”

“You wish you could be someone else for a little while?” Josh finished your thought. You nodded your head slowly, admitting the longing that had been building up in your head since all of this had unraveled in ways that was still making your head spin. “Yeah, me too. There are days when I wish that I could just close my eyes and be someone new.”

“Me too. What I wouldn’t do just to start over. Just for a little while. No knowledge of angels or demons.” You found yourself admitting your desires to him out in the open, like they were really going to happen. It was wishful thinking. “I want parents, I want to know what it feels like to be married. Hell, I want a mortgage.” You knew it was the alcohol that was making you smile as you reached for the drink to take another sip. It was the reality of your bitter situation that a little more complicated than going to sleep and waking up someone knew “I just…I want to be human. And I thought I was for the longest time. Turns out, I was wrong. With everything else.”

"Well, screw those who wronged you.” Josh reached for his beer and raised it up into the air. You followed in his actions as he made a toast. “Here’s to a new beginning. May Y/N’s future be filled with people that only want to help her. Not hurt her.”

Maybe it was the warm, fuzzy feeling in your chest that you hadn’t felt in ages or the second round of shots Josh talked you into having that blinded you by the people Josh had subtly dissed. The Winchester brothers, who had been sleeping while you were drinking away your problems with a friend they didn’t particularly like either. You left a simple note of “I needed some air—Y/N” to let them know why you disappeared. The truth that you needed some space from them felt a little too harsh. And you had enough of the truth. Sometimes it would be nice for someone to lie to you. Or tell you the truth that would benefit you.

“Oh Josh,” You let out a sigh as you shook your head. “What would I do without you?”

“I don’t know what I’d do without you.” Josh said. You gave him a soft smile that made a tightening feeling in his chest become more prominent. He noticed it first develop when he got the text from you. Josh’s eyes wandered away from you for a split second to the face hiding in the crowded bar, the one who had lead him to this path. He nervously brought up his drink to calm his nerves before you could suspect anything.

The both of you spent the next few hours until the bar scene thinned out and last call was made. You were more than tidy, but you were still in control of how you felt. It took a lot to get you drunk. You reached a hand inside your pocket and pulled out a few bills and left them on the table for the sweet waitress that took care of you. She smiled as you passed by her and wished the both of you a good night. As you exited the bar, you didn’t realize her smile had dropped along with her facade, her eyes flickering black to represent what had been watching you tonight like how she was instructed to.

You stepped out into the almost empty parking lot and inhaled a deep breath, taking in the scent of the night air that felt so refreshing. Josh’s motel wasn’t too far of a walking distant from the bar. All of you agreed to play it safe and pick up the car tomorrow morning when you were nursing a hangover you were going to regret. The both of you made it across the parking lot and underneath a headlight when you noticed something was off. No matter how drunk you were, you could still feel when trouble was brewing in the distance. You found yourself stopping dead in your tracks and looking up to the street lamp just above you. You watched as the light began flickering. 

“Ah, damn it.” You muttered underneath your breath. You knew that was never a good sign. And it didn’t help the fact that you were out in the dead of night after a few hours of drinking with no weapon to protect yourself with. It’s like you wanted to die. Josh remained behind you as he seemed to notice that something was off about this. You swallowed as you looked over your shoulder ever so slightly to see who was standing behind you. It came as no surprise when you saw that familiar arrogant smirk and black suit. There stood the king of hell in all of his glory. Your lips stretched into a forced smile at the sight of him. “Crowley…as I live and breathe.”

“A little dangerous out here to be roaming around here all your lonesome, don’t you think? There’s psychos out here.” Crowley’s first words to greet you after spending months of faking his own death were sarcasm. You poked your tongue against your cheek as you rolled your eyes, showing him you were the least bit amused at his dry sense of humor that hadn’t changed since you first met him. “My, looks I left your manners down in the cage. Is that any way to greet me, Kitten? After all I did for you, too.”

"Don’t call me that.” You hissed at his stupid pet name he found so amusing when his smile grew even wider. Your attitude slowly sizzled away for a second when you noticed that Crowley didn’t come here alone. A few of his goons you had recognized from the bar stepped out from the shadows, circling you and Josh, giving you no chance of making a run for it. Not like you had a chance of getting out of here if you wanted. You had a feeling Crowley had been tailing you since you got back to South Dakota. “Is there a reason why you’re here?”

"Yes, actually. I’m sure our good friend Castiel filled you in on the bonding time him and I have been spending together while going after purgatory. Along with other things that I’m sure ruffled up your feathers a bit.” Crowley informed you of details that you already knew. You narrowed your eyes on him as you watched him approach you slowly. His hands were in his pockets as he remained casual, but who knew what sort of trick he had hidden up his sleeve. “Don’t worry. I’m strictly here on business. I promise the angel I wouldn’t touch a hair on your head.”

“I highly doubt that.” You said. You crossed your arms over your chest and stared at the demon with suspicion at his true motives. It didn’t take much brain power to realize you were harboring an important key in his search for purgatory. “Let me guess. You want something back from me.”

“Yes…And no. My business isn’t with you, love. It’s with him.” Crowley’s hand slipped out from his pocket and pointed a finger in your direction. But he wasn’t gesturing to you, but to the man standing behind you. You furrowed your brow slightly as you looked over your shoulder to see Josh’s nervous expression had worsened. He was now staring at you with guilt. “You see, what you call family…I call my best selling point for any old fool to jump feet first into making a deal.”

Your felt your face fall into shock at the word that slipped out of the demon’s mouth. You looked over at the your friend, the idiot who you thought sold his soul to the king of hell. “You didn’t…”

"He did. Per se. He scratched my back, I scratched his. You see, poor Josh’s grandparents are about to kick the bucket and he wanted to find a way to fix you after Cas’ brilliant plan of pulling you out of the cage wasn’t working out well as he hoped, leaving me to clean up the mess.” The demon said. You clenched your jaw at how this night was coming. You looked away from the man you called your friend and to the one that made you regret not taking the demon knife as a precaution. “You see, your friends…they want what’s best for you. And unlike those boys, Josh here has spent months scouring the states for a way to make you human. And by golly, he found it.”

“If you think you’re laying a hand on me,” You warned him. “I’ll kill you.”

“I know, I know. The punches keep coming. First it’s Cas. Then your own friend. Who can you trust these days?” Crowley didn’t even flinch at your threat, because it was nothing more than hurtful words to bruise his ego. He merely deflected to what was making you angry and full of rage. “Like you said, there’s something from you that I want. And I’m gonna take it back. Thanks for holding on to it.” You were ready to lunge at him and tear his throat out with your teeth, but before you could even move, you felt someone pin your arms to your side restraining you back. Crowley smiled, in a way that made a bad feeling settle into the pit of your stomach. “Nighty night, Kitten. See you in a bit.”

Crowley turned his back on you and began walking away, leaving you with a string of possibilities of what was going to happen. You felt yourself suddenly completely sober now at the events that unfolded. Before you could see the demon vanish from your sight, you felt something slip over your head, engulfing your vision. It was the blow to the side of your head that made everything go black, leaving you anxious for what else was to come.

\+ + +

“What did I tell you—“

“We’ve got to act fast. First one was on the house. And if you liked the taste of that, wait until we crack the whole bloody thing open.”

Voices were the first thing you noticed when you slowly began to come back around to consciousness. The next thing was the sticky feeling on the side of your forehead where your hair stuck to your skin. You guessed it was blood from how badly your head was throbbing. You inhaled inhaled a deep breath as you slowly sat up straight in what felt like a chair. A very uncomfortable one. The hot breath that you exhaled hit you right back in your face, making you realize there was something still over your head, which explained why you could see fragments of bodies and bits of light.

Much as you’d love to rip off the sack off your head and show the angel and demon how you really felt about them, you couldn’t. You sat with your hands behind your back and a disgusting tasting fabric between your teeth. You listened to the sounds of your own confined breathing and whispered conversation before you were blinded with by light. It took you a few seconds before your eyes adjusted to your surroundings. You noticed that you weren’t in the bar parking lot, or anywhere that you noticed before. It looked like an empty warehouse from the looks of it.

“You sure this is gonna work?”

You heard Josh’s voice echo through the building, but he wasn’t standing with the two other men. You moved your head to look painfully over your shoulder, best that you could, to see him. He was standing to your very right with what appeared to be someone else…an unconscious body hunched over in a chair. You noticed that she had eerily familiar color hair as you. The same bit of nose and lips from what you could inspect from the vail hiding her hair. You could feel your breathing turning heavier in nervousness at what you wondered. Was that…Was that you?

“Shapeshifter, actually. It’s a carbon copy of Y/N Y/L/N. Has every scar and every little detail on your body.” Crowley answered your question as if he knew what you were thinking. You looked back over at the demon as you furrowed your brow. He acknowledged your presence before moving his gaze over to your friend. “For the last bloody time. Yes.”

Cas’ approaching footsteps towards you made you turn your gaze back over at him and watched as he began rolling up his sleeve to his elbow. Sort of like the few times when he reached his hand inside to touch the human soul. Yo had only witnessed it, but you had a feeling it was about to happen to you. Because there was something inside of you that you had been carrying around all these months. And they wanted it back. That’s what the body was for…

“If there’s some place that you find soothing, you should go there, in your mind.“ Cas instructed you the same way when he shoved his hand inside Sam’s chest to see if he had a soul. You leaned back in your seat as you shook your head no as you told him to get away from you, but all of it came off as muffled words nobody could understand except for yourself. "You wanted to be human, this is what you have to do. Stay still.”

The angel’s warning would be the only thing you heard before he slipped into say something in a foreign tongue you had never heard before. But you couldn’t hear much of anything from the sounds of your muffled screams of agonizing pain that you hadn’t felt before in your entire life. You’ve wanted to be normal for your entire life. You lost count on the sleepless nights and tears shed over the idea that you were something of an abomination like this. If you knew this was the way to getting what you wanted…you would change your mind. But you didn’t have a choice in the matter anymore.

\+ + +

A happy place could be an actual location. A paradise of white sand beaches and water blue as they sky. Busy streets of sights overseas, buildings that might be ancient, but rich with history. A memory of a place of what once was. Sometimes it could be a person. Cas guessed after you slipped out of consciousness again that you were dreaming of the Winchester brothers, your family that you proclaimed just a few hours ago. People that would do anything for you. The angel had done the best of what he could considering the circumstances that pulled you apart. He hoped you would still consider him a friend after all of this was said and done. He fixed his sleeve and let out a sigh.

"It’s done.” The angel announced.

Josh nervously stood in the distance with his arms crossed tightly over his face. His face was eerily pale as his eyes were slanted wide open. This was a sight that he had never seen done before. All of his hard work over the past several months had paid off. But why did he feel so guilty? What had he done? All of this reminded him of Frankenstein. A book of many meanings. One he remembered was the consequences of playing God. The man kept reminding himself that he was getting you one step closer to freedom. You were human again. He felt himself inhaling a breath, but before he could release it to signify his relief, he should have known. Actions have consequences…If you make a deal with the devil, you’re going to get burned.

The young man was suddenly blinded by a light that came out of nowhere, taking him by complete and total surprise, quickly shielding his eyes before he could go blind. Josh stood there for a moment, arms crossed over his head as his breathing turned into heavy pants of fear. He wasn’t sure what was going on.

“Relax. You can open your eyes now.” Crowley reassured the man that everything was fine. Josh nervously peeked out slightly and opened one of his eyes to see if the demon was right. When he noticed that everything was fine, he dropped his arms back to his side. Josh looked around the building to see that everything remained almost like normal. Except someone was missing. The angel. “Don’t worry, mate. Castiel went on….a little trip. Where to? I don’t bloody know. His end of the bargain is up.”

“What?” Josh asked. He was about to look around the room to see if you were all right, but he suddenly felt a grip around his arms, and with a quick yank, he was being forced back. “What the hell are you doing?! We had a deal!”

“And it was pleasure doing business with you mate. But the big kids have to get to work. My help will explain the details to your next bit. I…have a guest I need to welcome.” Crowley waved off the two other demons that dragged out the poor sucker that had got wrapped up in all of this mess. He passed by your unconscious body and to the one that was calling his attention the most. Crowley watched as the body that had been the most tedious part of all of this began to move slowly until she sat straight up. His lips stretched into a smirk when he saw her eyes switch to that beautiful, malevolent color rotten as the soul inside her body. “Hello, darling.”


	17. Let it Bleed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: Demon!Reader, mentions of violence, mentions of pregnancy and intimacy, character death and angst. (Also I'm happily to admit this is 35,960 words or 55 pages in Google Docs. This is gonna be one effing long finale!)

“Hello, darling.“

Wasn’t it every girl’s dream to wake up to the sound of of a lovely British accent? For some, perhaps. If they were into that sort of thing. For you, it was a nightmare you were about to wake up to. You had been silent for weeks now. The last time you had gotten free was…you didn’t even know when. You had been a passenger in your own skin for decades. And even when you were front and center, there was always a little voice in the back of your head, pulling you back from what you really wanted to do. You had been in the cage for all of a hot second before you were released with that bitch still attached at the wheel. This time around you were freer than you had ever been in your entire existence, but there was a guideline that only let you come free when the time was needed for others. You knew Crowley was alive well before Eve opened up her mouth. But you didn’t think he’d go an awful long way to have a chat with you.

You slowly inhaled a breath as you found yourself awakening from what felt to be a deep slumber. You blinked once, letting your eyes turn, showing the kill of hell what side he was presented with. Crowley stood over you with the same kind of smirk you remembered when he told you the good news of your departure from the cage. And the rules that needed to be followed unless you wanted to take another trip down below. You returned his smirk with a cold, unamused expression. You moved your gaze away from the demon to inspect the scenery you were surrounded by, along to find that angel, figuring he probably ratted you out long ago.

“Where’s the wet blanket?” You weren’t in the mood for proper greeting as you looked away from the demon. You half expected Castiel to be around here somewhere with that blank expression of his, standing in the background as Crowley conducted things his own way. You furrowed your brow slightly as you looked around the abandoned building until someone caught your attention, but it wasn’t the angel. What caught your attention was someone that sat across from you. You moved your arms slightly, wondering if this was some kind of trick. Only you noticed two things. The body remained lifeless as you moved your limbs all on your own. No voice telling you to stop. “What the f—”

“Marvelous, isn’t it?” Crowley inspected the real body for himself as he placed his hands behind his back. You weren’t sure if this was some kind of joke. But the pain that shot up through your leg when you pinched yourself and no nagging voice in the back of your head reacting to what you did. “You see, I do keep my promises. Even though you doubted me to Castiel.”

Crowley nodded his head, as if he was giving you the go ahead to do what you secretly wanting to do. He stepped back out of the way as you took your new body out for a test spin. You felt like Ariel from that God awful Disney movie after she sold her voice to Ursula for a pair of legs to win over a man. You wiggled your fingers and toes, feeling everything move in perfect sync when you did. It took a little brain power to realize that you were free…you were really free. You found yourself walking over to the unconscious body so you were standing over it. You reached out to lightly kick her, she responded by inhaling a breath before dropping back down.

You outstretched your arms in front of you to inspect every little detail of yourself, just wanting to make sure this was real. You were a carbon copy of the woman. How they managed to pull it off was a mystery to you, but you’d be foolish to bite the hand that provided you with such a generous gift. All you knew was that she might have been the original design, but you were the better upgrade. You had everything that made Y/N for who she was. What Lucifer intended her to be. She lost it forever because she wanted to be normal. And now, after much obstacles, the both of you got what you secretly desired. She was nothing more than a piss poor human like the rest of them.

Since Y/N learned the truth about herself, she dreamed for this day to come. You’d wanted the chance to be able to control your own body without a second voice chiming into the background or someone attaching strings onto your limbs, only coming out when someone yanked on you when they needed something done. While this was a freeing experience, the devil was still in the details. You weren’t convinced the king of hell was doing this out of the goodness of his own black heart. There was always a leash pulling you back from where you really wanted to go. The only way someone like you got their strings clipped was for the preparation for the end. You crossed your arms over your chest and turned your attention back over to Crowley. You wanted to get to the bottom of this before your hopes, high as a demon could get them, would be crushed.

"What’s the catch?” You questioned the demon. Crowley pretended to be confused at what you were asking him, you narrowed your eyes on him as you swiftly turned yourself on your heels, suspecting there would be an angel in a trench coat behind you, waiting ever so patiently to smite you. Only there was nobody there. “I know that angel is around somewhere.”

“My guess is Oz. Maybe even Chicago. I don’t know, nor do I care at the moment.” Crowley said with a simple shrug. You found his attitude a tad bit unusual. The angel and demon had been attached at the hip since Crowley proposed the idea of cracking open the door to purgatory. He waved a finger for you to follow as he began walking, leaving your doppelganger where she was. “As you way know, Castiel has a big mouth and accidentally let Nancy Drew and the Hardy boys on our big plan. Causing more messes I have to clean up.”

“Well, they were bound to find out your genius plan.” You muttered underneath your breath. You and the demon changed scenery away from the abandoned run down building into what looked to be an office of luxurious standards from its sleek wooden desk and velvet lined chairs. Crowley sat himself down at the opposite end of the desk as he poured himself a drink before offering you one. You graciously accepted and sat yourself down on possibly one of the most comfortable chairs you had ever been on. “My, don’t I feel fancy.”

“As you should. It’s my intention for those who I do business with. And I have a proposition for you, Y/N. You do still go by Y/N, do you?“ Crowley asked, you gave him a funny expression from how formal and polite he was being as you nodded your head. "It’s come to my attention that you don’t like me. Or how I choose to run hell.”

“Yeah, I don’t. Demon’s aren’t what they used to be. Even the newest demon straight out of hell wouldn’t have cracked fast as Redd—you know, that hick you hired to do all your dirty work. Bobby Singer took one stab with that fancy knife and twisted it in that idiot’s leg before it was all over. He was so willing to get that pain to stop he would have confessed all of his sins for it to stop. That’s not how demons should be. You aren’t instilling fear for what would happen if they spill their guts.“ You told the king of hell how you really felt about how he operated things, expecting every word you spoke to be your last one. But Crowley sat there with a serious look on his face, as if he was listening to you. “You’re not running this place like how Lucifer intended it to be.”

"Lucifer. What does he know about torture? He’s a whiny child was an imaginative idea, hellbent on destroying the world and taking us with him. Well, not you.” Crowley said. “Thanks to him, I got myself wrapped up in that bloody apocalypse mess.

"Yes. But if it wasn’t for me, you wouldn’t be in this swanky office.” You pointed out an interesting fact for him to stop talking so poorly on the archangel who was your God, a Father to all of you. In a religious sort of way. You leaned back in your seat and brought the glass to your lips as you crossed one leg over the other. “Poorly managing something that was wrongfully given to you.”

“I’ll agree with that. So let’s change that.”

“How?”

“Purgatory, as you know, has been a burden. Castiel and I haven’t seen eye to eye about how we want to do things. I propose we add another name to the wall. Let’s talk partnership.“ Crowley’s proposal was something that piqued your interest. You raised your brow slightly in curiosity as you sipped on the whiskey. "You and I want the same thing. For hell to run smoothly. So let’s do it. Work with me. Not for me.”

You were about to take another sip of your drink until you heard those unbelievable words being spoken, it took you by complete surprise. You froze in your spot and looked at the demon. The proposition of such a deal made you break into a smile as you chuckled, the response wasn’t what Crowley expected as his facial expression dampered slightly. “You know, I didn’t think you had a funny bone in that poorly chosen meat suit of yours. But…that’s cute. Real cute. You attempting to, what, make me feel comfortable? Sweet talk me into a big plan that sounds too good to be true, and right when my guard down you’re gonna kill me.”

“A king his nothing without his queen.”

“Lucifer promised me power, too. Look at where he ended up.”

“I’ll go halfsies on the souls with you from my cut with Castiel.” Crowley proposed a deal no demon would be stupid enough to deny. He knew it got your full attention when you changed your body language. You lowered your glass to the desk and uncrossed your legs to move slightly forward, wanting to hear more about this. “Hell, as you know, is a full time job. And something like you is one of a kind. My God, the things you did to those poor bastards would be Alistair to shame. You worked just as hard for those souls as I have. I need someone like you to run things. Make demons stronger, better than we’ve ever seen.”

“You’re serious.” You whispered.

“I’ve had time to think what you meant to me while you were away. And I admit, it took some soul searching to realize I’d be a fool to lose you. The both of us make a beautiful couple. Think of what we could accomplish with you torturing souls and my expertise of keeping them in line. It’ll be the best sort of hell we’ve ever seen.“ Crowley said. You had to admit, you were liking what the demon was selling you. "However…there is one little problem standing in the way of accomplishing our dreams. I’m fairly certain you despise the Winchesters much as I do.”

“Unfortunately. Just thinking about them gives me indigestion. I’m gonna take a wild guess and all of this plan you had with that other one—Josh—wasn’t just to get me free. It’s insurance. You’re gonna nestle Y/N away somewhere and threaten the Winchesters to back off.” You guessed what was Crowley’s end game. The demon’s lips stretched into an arrogant smirk at his genius plan being spoken out loud. Your lips stretched into a smile, but it wasn’t out of kindness. “That has to be the most overused, sloppiest idea I’ve ever heard.”

“I think it’s a classic.” Crowley defended himself. “It works—”

"Zero percent of the time. And you also forgot the other player that has a personal connection with Y/N—Castiel. Don’t you think the second he realizes what you’re doing he’s going to run to the Winchesters? The three of them together, and with Bobby, is a forced to be reckoned with.” You said. “Come on, Crowley. I know you can do better than that.”

“If you think you can do better, fine.” Crowley said. “What would be your big plan?”

“Let me just say this. Power is like a seesaw. You let your opponent have too much, you’re left up in the air with your feet dangling up from the ground. If you attempt to get down it only ends with you getting hurt. And if you’re the one who has it all, your knees start to get tired from carrying all that responsibility. But when it’s balanced…it’s perfect. Threats work the same way.” You said. “We make Castiel and the Winchesters do what we want. But Y/N’s only part of the plan. If Castiel runs to the boys, all of them will forget their differences and do whatever they can to get her back. But if we get someone else they also care about..they’re stuck in the middle.”

“I have to admit, I like where this is going. Tell me more.”

“How do you feel about endangering the life of a child?”

\+ + +

Dean should have been reading the journals of past family members who lived decades before him. Most of the entries he skimmed were about monsters he hunted and lore he already knew. What kept his full attention was the little scrap of paper tucked into the spine of the opened journal. Your message you must have left late into the night was the only thing he could he could focus on, and how angry you were at him for what he did. Withholding the truth had been what almost tore your relationship apart. He promised he would always be honest when you came clean about everything. But he trusted an angel he called his friend over you, someone he knew the second you were born.

It wasn’t that he lied to you because he didn’t trust you, it was because he didn’t know what else to do. Dean knew how hard you tried to keep your urges under control while working on a way to make yourself human. He felt if he told you the truth it would crush you. All your life you had carried that burden on your shoulders. He wanted you to be blissfully ignorant to the situation before he could find a way out of this. Only it turned out the same person he trusted to solve this problem ended up being the one who caused it in the first place. Dean was left sitting in Bobby’s library with his head propped up in his hand as he mindlessly stared off into space, mentally beating himself up for his past choices.

Sam sat at the desk you had been occupying twelve hours ago while you drank half a bottle of whiskey Bobby had kept hidden away. You found his stash and sat alone in the dark while the boys slept. The younger Winchester knew you had taken all of this information harder than you were willing to admit. His brother was beating himself up over what he did. “Well, what else were you supposed to do?” Sam’s voice broke the man’s concentration out of his own personal thoughts, knowing exactly what they were about. “None of us expected Cas was working with Crowley. Especially on this level. You did what all of us would have done.”

“Yeah, a fat lot of good it did. I’ve called Y/N ten times and she hasn’t gotten back to me. Why the hell did Cas come last night? Whatever they talked about, it sure got her even more pissed.” Dean said. He shook his head as he dropped his hand down to his lap. Dean had woken up only for a moment to hear voices coming from the kitchen, recognizing them as yours and Cas’. They were too quiet for him to hear what you were discussing. Whatever it was, you left shortly after. Dean shut the journal and pushed himself up to his feet, having had enough. “Well, Samuel’s journals are pointless. I mean, I’m sorry, but Jebediah Campbell has squat to tell me about how to stop Cas from cracking purgatory open.”

“Well, actually, it’s not about the journals we have. It’s about the one we don’t.” Bobby stepped into the library where he found both of the boys around the desk. Sam wondered what the older hunter meant by that. “Well, that’s the bad news. Our pal, Cas, didn’t stop in last night just to mend fences. And I don’t picture Y/N as the kleptomaniac type.”

Dean didn’t like the sound of this. He pushed himself up into a standing position after he had been leaning against the desk before the older hunter came into the room and discussed some news about the angel that only painted him worse. “What did he do?”

“Stole something. The journal of one Moishe Campbell.” Bobby said. Sam repeated the name, finding that to be the oddest thing he heard come out of the hunter’s mouth. “Of the New York Campbells.”

“What—So we gotta get it back, right?” Sam asked. He had a sneaky suspicion the journal was an important one if the angel was committing theft in the middle of the night. The big question was, how the hell were they going to get it back from something like Cas. However, Bobby was one step ahead of everyone, saving the day.

“Or just read the copy I had already made.” Bobby said. He handed over the manilla envelope he had grabbed from upstairs after discovering the journal was taken. Dean seemed impressed at how smart the older hunter was. “Hi, glad to meet you. Bobby Singer, paranoid bastard.”

Since the journal was an unbound photocopy, each of them took a third of the pages to read and see if they could find anything useful. Dean had been distant from his work while Bobby took the chair he had been occupying not too long ago as Sam had his nose buried in the papers. The older Winchester fixed himself a cup of coffee while he tried, yet again, to call you. All he got was the same voicemail that greeted him for at least the dozenth time. And each time, he left you a message apologizing for what he had done. This time Dean snuck in the detail about the journal. He knew you might have been mad at him, but you wanted to stop Cas as much as he did.

Dean pocketed his phone and headed back to the library with two mugs in one hand and approached Bobby when he guessed he zeroed in on some useful information. “What do you got?” He asked, reaching for the journal entry Bobby had been reading. He skimmed the paper as he walked over to his brother to hand over the coffee. “‘Went to talk to Howard Phillips about the events of March tenth.’”

“That’s March 10th, 1937.” Bobby added a date as if that was supposed to mean something.

“All right,” Dean sat himself down on the edge of the desk and continued to read through the rest of the entry to himself to understand why it was so important. “So who’s this Phillips guy?”

“Phillips ain’t his last name.” Bobby corrected the older Winchester. “It’s Lovecraft.”

“Wait, H.P. Lovecraft?” Sam guessed the name he recognized who the hunter mentioned. He reached out a hand to grab the piece of paper from his brother and started to read it for himself. “Let me see that.”

“Am I supposed to know who that is?” Dean asked the older hunter when his brother was reading the entry with fascination. Bobby stared at him like he just grew a second head through his shoulder. The man said this Lovecraft guy was a horror writer and listed off a few iconic titles like At the Mountains Of Madness, The Call of Cthulhu. Dean kept staring at him with not a single clue of what the hell they were talking about. “Yeah, it's—no, I'm—I was too busy having sex with women.”

Bobby rolled his eyes from the kind of remark that he should have seen coming from the older Winchester. “Anyhow, there’s one notion that comes up over and over again in his stories. Namely, opening doors to other dimensions and letting scary crap through.”

“You don’t say.” Dean said, seeming to become more interested in this Lovecraft guy.

“So you’re saying you think Lovecraft knew something about purgatory?” Sam wondered, Bobby shrugged his shoulders at the lack of information he could provide.

“All I know is Moishe paid him a visit.” Bobby said.

\+ + +

While the Winchester brothers and Bobby were discussing the Lovecraft and purgatory business, you were getting started on the second phase of the plan. You let out a low whistling tune as you adjusted the sunglasses you wore to block out the sun’s rays on this afternoon as you tracked down the house number of the Braden household, the one that Dean insisted on renting after uprooting that poor family from their old one after a couple of djinns broke in. If only Dean knew what was about to happen to the woman he pretended to care for and that kid who tried to raise as his own. You would do anything to see the sheer panic on his little face.

You wanted this plan to go in a much different style than what you had originally planned. You were thinking about going up to the front door and be greeted by the lovely sight of Lisa, only her smile would fall at the sight of you and your teary eyes, here to break the news that Dean was dead. That’s when you would lull her into a safety before making your way. Crowley decided why be so cautious? Go in for the kill. He gave you a few of his men and let you make an appearance, but you didn’t need to lift a single finger. The perks of being in charge of hell is that not all of those demons are like Redd, some of them are strong and willingly to do whatever you ask them. So, you took the demon up on his offer.

You approached the front door of the house you had never personally been to. While it looked sweet and homey from the outside, it wasn’t going to look like this for very long when you got done with it. Yo knocked on the door and waited a moment before the person you were hoping for would answer it. Your lips stretched into a warm smile when Lisa Braden stood in the doorway, appearing startled at who she saw, only she had reason to believe it was someone far different than who she expected.

“Lisa,” You greeted the woman in a friendly tone as you pushed your sunglasses to the top of your head for them to rest. Your smile grew wider when you blinked, letting your eyes turn the shade of black Dean had warned her about to run from. “I don’t think we’ve been personally introduced before.”

Lisa’s natural reaction was to shove the door in your face fast as she could, but you were quicker than her. You shoved your foot into the track and placed your weight on the door. You shook your head as you heard the window right next to the door broke, the demon you brought along made their move. You pushed your way inside when the first one grabbed the woman as the other went for a man you hadn’t seen before. You rolled your eyes when Lisa pleaded for you not to hurt them as she struggled to get out of the demon’s grip around her. You ignored her as you focused your attention on the man the other demon had in a choke hold.

“Matt, right? The doctor I heard so much about. He’s cute. An upgrade from the last guy you were screwing.” You looked over your shoulder and gave Lisa a playful wink at her choice of men. She didn’t seem amused as you had when her expression didn’t change from panic. You looked over at the demon holding him and made a cutting motion with your hand at your neck. “I don’t think we need him.”

The demon nodded his head, and with a simple twist, Lisa let out a panicked cry when she saw her boyfriend all of a few months fall to the ground. You placed your hands on your hips as you let out a sigh of a job well done, seeming unfazed at what you witnessed. The woman stared at you with a disturbed expression. She learned little about you from Dean, all she knew was that you were partially something of the supernatural beings that all of you hunted. He never told to be warned about the black eyes and coming out of the blue and killing her boyfriend.

“What the hell are you?” She couldn’t help herself but ask. You walked over to her and stood right across from her to show the same malevolent eyes you had greeted her with.

“I’m your worst nightmare.” You whispered to the woman in the tone of voice that sent a shiver of fear down her spine. The frightening expression only lasted for a second before you let out a laugh as your persona changed along with your eye color again from her reaction you found nothing short of amusing. “My God. What did Dean ever see in you?“

You moved your gaze to the staircase when you noticed Lisa’s eyes darted over to the top for a split second before focusing back on you, acting as if you wouldn’t notice. But you did. And you almost forgot about that little brat. You began walking to the staircase as Lisa began to try fighting the demon that was holding her when she figured where you were going. You reassured the woman that you weren’t going to touch a head on Ben’s head. You stood on the second stair and waved a finger at the demon for him to follow.

You continued on your way upstairs and began whistling the same tune again while you went on your search to find Ben so you could greet him the same way you did with his mom. You checked every room before finding the only closed door at the end of the hall. You decided to do the honors when you stepped back and swiftly kicked down the door. Pieces from the broken door and chair you broke littered the carpeted floor as you stepped inside the bedroom of one Ben Braden. Your lips stretched into a smile when you saw the kid trying to make an escape from the window. You nodded your head for the demon to take Ben and join his mother. As he did so, you looked down at the ground to see there was a cell phone with a current call.

"I’m coming to get you and your mom, I promise…Ben? Ben?”

You bent down to pick up the phone when you heard the familiar voice of a hunter you hadn’t personally spoken to in a long time. You placed the phone on speaker when you spotted the king of hell stepping into the room to inspect the job well done. You decided to be the one to speak, greeting the hunter with a voice he sure wasn’t expecting. “Hi, Dean. Fancy a chat?”

\+ + +

Dean Winchester wasn’t sure what was worst; hearing the chilling voice belonging to a woman he was expecting to hear from under different circumstances. Or the fact that Lisa and Ben were in trouble. He knew from how this situation was playing out this had Crowley’s name written all over it. That demon must have gotten his hands on you, making you not in control of yourself anymore. You were a prisoner in your own skin because of that demon. Crowley had to have done something to you in order to switch personalities into the one he wanted present.

All he knew for sure was that nightmares do come true. And they were unraveling all at once into one big, horrifying mess.

“Y/N” Dean was trying his hardest to remain calm as he spoke to the woman on the other line. Sam gave his brother a confused expression as to why he was speaking your name. Dean didn’t pay any attention to the stares, he knew you had to still be in there. He tried his hardest to reach you. It worked once before. And he would do it again if he had to. “Are you still in there, sweetheart?”

“Hello, Dean.” Crowley’s voice came from the other line, stopping you from answering the man’s question. The older Winchester felt his grip around the phone tighten. The sound of that cheerful accent made his blood boil. “God, how long’s it been? Since my so-called demise, yes?”

"Crowley, I should’ve known your grubby little hands were all over this. Let them go, now.” Dean ordered the demon to follow his instructions as he pushed himself up from the couch he was sitting on. Sam and Bobby exchanged worried looks to each other as they continued to listen in on the one sided conversation they could hear. “Or I swear—”

“Right, right. You’ll rip me a cornucopia of orifices. Let’s get to the bit where I tell you how this goes.” Crowley said. “Your chocolate’s been in my peanut butter for too long.”

“I’m going to kill you.” Dean threatened the demon in an eerily too calm of a voice.

“Oh, Dean. Ever the wit. Don’t worry, your little girlfriend isn’t responsible for all of this. You’re talking to the…new and improved Y/N. The one you thought you could get rid of so easily. Now I’ve got my own body I can use however the hell I want. Imagine the things I can do.“ You spoke up again, giving a piece of information that was bittersweet for all the reasons that made him feel horrible for feeling relieved. even the slightest bit relieved. It was like a breath he had been holding in for years was finally let go. But he knew that came with consequences. "Crowley and I have got your—what were they to you? Your ex-lady friend and your not-child? And we’re keeping them until we’re satisfied until you back the hell off.”

“What about Y/N? What did you to her?” Dean questioned the two demons he was speaking to. He could feel himself growing even more agitated when he heard you let out a chuckle from how you were getting him even more furious. “Crowley, I swear…If you killed her I will hunt you down like a dog. I will turn you inside out and torture you in ways until your sorry ass begs for me to kill you. And that’s just for Y/N. Think of what I’ll do if you don’t let Lisa and Ben go.”

“You’re adorable when you get all threatening. Don’t worry, Fido. Your darling is safe…for now. I don’t know for how much longer. I do get bored easily. And I wouldn’t want to get rusty on my torturing skills. Do you know how satisfying it would be to slice up a bitch who looks exactly like you?” Your tone of voice was too casual for his liking. He rubbed his face with his hand at what was unraveling all at once. “I’ll give you a proposition. We won’t hurt Lisa and Ben. Provided you and Jolly Green stand down. And maybe, if you’re on your best behavior, I won’t send your sweetheart back limb by limb to Bobby’s doorstep.“

“And if you and Moose decide to play hero, I’m one step ahead of you two morons. I made sure your family and Y/N are being held in two separate locations. Far, far away from each other. Gotta keep the fun alive somehow. Wouldn’t want to make it too easy for you.” Crowley said, adding one more crucial detail that the older Winchester should have seen coming. But it only crushed the plan he was forming in his head while his conversation dragged on. He should have known better. "Got it? If so, splendid. Kisses.”

Dean heard the dial tone after the call ended, making him realize the situation unraveling all at once was very much real. He shut his eyes for a moment and inhaled a deep breath. There was so much to unpack and digest, but he didn’t know what to start with. Dean dropped his arm to his side and let it dangle for a moment. He let out a heavy sigh and stared down at the ground, wanting to ignore the worried looks from Sam and Bobby.

“What’s the story?” Bobby cautiously asked, but the older Winchester could hear the fear in his voice as he prepared himself for the worst case scenario his mind could come up with while the conversation dragged on between Dean and the demon.

“You want the good news or the bad news first?” Dean’s question made the two other men stare at him with a slightly bewildered look. He decided to start off with something good before delivering the sucker punch to drive this situation home. “Good news, I’m pretty sure Y/N is fully human. Bad news, that demon bitch is working with Crowley. They said Y/N, Lisa and Ben keep breathing as long as we sit on our thumbs.”

Sam let out a heavy sigh from how this situation turned into one that he wouldn’t have imagined, turning into something far worse. “You think Cas knows about this? He’s the only one who could pull something heavy duty like that for Y/N.“

“The way that he’s been acting, I don’t think he popped in last night just to apologize or steal that journal. And there’s no way he fixed his mistake out of the kindness of own heart. We gotta assume Cas does.” Dean said. He started looking at this from a logical standpoint of what a deranged king of hell and an angel would do to keep a couple of hunters cornered. Take people they love and put them at opposite ends. If you reach for one, another one suffers the consequences. “More leverage against us.”

“So, what are we gonna do?” Sam asked his older brother.

“I’ll tell you what we’re not gonna do. Sit here. I’m going after them.” Dean said. He was thinking out of pure adrenaline and rage from what was unfolding out of his control. Whenever things like this happened, Dean went for a way to solve the problem without thinking about things logically. Sam offered to go with him, his brother shot down the idea. “No, Sam. You and Bobby stay on the Lovecraft thing, okay? Cas is way ahead of us.”

“I heard Crowley, Dean. There’s no way you can go after the both of them. You know the second you go after one, they’re gonna kill the other.” Sam reminded his brother of an outcome that he seemed to have forgotten. “You’re not Superman. There’s no way in hell I’m letting you go alone. Bobby can take care of the case.”

“No, guys—” Bobby pushed himself up from his seat to put himself into this fight. He knew the brothers needed all hands on deck with this situation. And there was no way in hell he was just going to sit back while you were out there all alone, having God knows what done to you. Bobby viewed all of you like the children he didn’t have. He couldn’t stomach the idea of stepping back, but sometimes all of them had to do things they didn’t want.

“Bobby…this is a big ball, okay?” Dean reminded the man about what was at stake here. “We can’t drop it now.”

The older hunter looked defeated at what was being asked of him to do. But he knew it was the right thing. The boys were capable hunters, they stopped enough messes on their own. However there was one problem before they could figure out their next plan of action. “Fine. How are you two gonna find out where Y/N and Lisa are?”

While the question lingered in the air with the three hunters of what to do, things only seemed to grow more stranger when they heard a sudden knock on the door. Dean turned his head to the doorway as the knocks quickly escalated to banging. He looked over at his brother and gave him a subtle nod of the head, deciding to see who was here. Dean made sure to grab his loaded pistol that he never went anywhere without as his brother followed behind with the demon knife in his grip. As they approached the door, the banging continued on, along with a muffled voice belonging to someone they thought was long gone by now.

Dean furrowed his brow as he heard the panicked voice of none other than Josh Carver come from outside, asking for someone to let him in. The older Winchester opened up the front door to see your other good friend standing on the porch with a nervous expression. However a hunter couldn’t be too safe. Dean swiftly stepped forward and grabbed Josh by the collar of his shirt, all before roughly throwing him against a wall. Sam crept up from behind and splashed a flask of holy water in the man’s face. Dean narrowed his eyes as he waited to see if there was any sort of signs of demon possession. Josh coughed as he struggled to catch his breath from the sneak attack. Dean noticed the poor bastard looked like he went a few rounds with someone from the bruises around his eyes and cheeks.

“I’m not a demon! I swear, I’m not!” Josh declared his innocence. Dean didn’t show that he was in the mood for playing around when he roughly shoved the man against the wall, questioning him why the hell he was here in the first place. Josh stared at the man with an apologetic look for what he did. “I didn’t know. I swear…Just let me explain.”

Josh Carver was an…interesting man. The Winchesters first met them when your house got broken into, right around the same time Sam ran off to California to help hunt Azazel, but ended up meeting a woman named Meg. Things for you three always happened with a reason why. It turned out the Josh they met had been possessed by a demon who was working for Azazel, and following a few months after the break in, you had met up with Josh under even more strange circumstances that you didn’t realize at the time.

You met him again one night while you were out with Sam at a bar while Dean spent a night with an old fling. Then there was the time such a short while alter that he showed up in the bar a victim of yours worked in while you investigated her murder. You stumbled upon the sight of Josh speaking to Meg, who he claimed to have bumped into, the both chatting away like they were old friends. Only come to find out they were much more than that. Josh ended up being freed from the demon after you threatened to kill Meg, who you didn’t know at the time was a demon as well.

You and the boys didn’t see Josh again until the car accident that nearly took your and Dean’s lives. He delivered a haunting message before disappearing again for a short while until he asked you to work a case for him. And then he was silent…until you got freed from hell for the first time. You were alone, scared and guilty of what you had done, you called Josh and told him everything. For two weeks you spent at home with him at your side until Dean showed up at your door. While the reunion was sweet, that little punk thought Dean was one of those monsters. He didn’t know a monster if it went and kicked him where it hurt. Him and Dean bumped heads a few times before you managed to calm them both down.

Dean always had a weird feeling about the guy. But he kept his mouth shut because he wasn’t going to be that guy. The one who forbid his girlfriend in having friends of the opposite gender. Now…Dean was regretting punching that dick in the face when he had the chance. He should have never let you talk him into adding a stranger in this situation. Because Josh didn’t know the difference between right and wrong. He had went and made all the wrong decisions to supposedly help you. Only he did the complete opposite, he put your life in danger.

Josh sat on the couch as he nursed the glass of whiskey Bobby offered him to calm his nerves after drying up the holy water from his face. He didn’t say anything for a good moment or so. he just sat there, scratching his beard and tracing the bruises on his face. Dean stared down at the man with a cold expression, trying to keep his temper under control and resisting the urge to shake the information out of him. Sam was trying his hardest to remain calm as he asked him what exactly happened that lead all of them here to this point.

Josh told them about his tragic childhood growing up, about how his parents died when he was a teenager and sent to go live with his grandparents that lived next door to you. But this all started when he was in the hospital church while his grandmother laid in a bed, barely clinging to life. He knew she was getting older and things like this happened. And from hearing all about the supernatural, despite all the bad things, he prayed for some kind of miracle to happen. He knew it was useful as talking to the air, but he thought he might as well try. What happened was something he didn’t expect at all. His prayers had been answered. Not by God, but by an angel and a demon.

“They told me about Y/N and what was wrong with her. Crowley said there was a way to get her back to normal, along with making sure my grandparents would be okay for a little while longer.“ Josh explained the deal he made with the two supernatural beings. He shook his head as he silently reflected on the mistake he made. "I didn’t know what else to do.”

“So you sold your soul to him.” Sam suspected, Josh looked up from his glass.

“What? No. We had this exchange.” Josh said. “I’d find a way to make Y/N human, they would make my grandparents live for a little longer. That’s the deal we had.”

Dean slipped a scoff underneath his breath as he shook his head from hearing possibly the most flimsiest excuse he heard for someone to jump both feet into a situation like this. Josh stared at the older Winchester with a type of look that wondered what he found so funny. The man decided to answer that question if he wanted to hear it so badly. “People die everyday, pal. You’re lucky to have gotten this far in life with your family. So what if gramps is halfway in the grave? You don’t make deals with the devil with situations you know nothing about.“

"What did I need to know? The fact that you have done nothing for years about this situation? Or maybe how you and…and you sons of bitches just sit around while Y/N puts her life on the line for you time and time again? And don’t get me started on the hell part.” Josh pushed himself up to his feet, abandoning his whiskey on the couch. He wasn’t in the mood for the temper that Dean was trying to play against him. “She went to me about this problem she’s been having. Not you. Why? I bet it’s because all of you would rather sit around with your thumbs up your ass worrying about yourselves than her. Unlike you, I helped fix her! You’re both bunch of selfish—”

Josh didn’t have a chance to finish his insult against the Winchester brothers. He felt himself spinning back slightly when a punch directed at him. Dean found himself blinded by rage when he heard this smug son of a bitch going on about a situation he thought he knew so much about. He didn’t realize he had sucker punched Josh in the face and tried to pummel his face in with his bare hands. Dean managed to get another swing in before Josh could recover from the last one. However the man was faster. He swung back an arm and directed a punch, however that would be the last one either one of them would do. Sam went after his brother as Bobby pulled back Josh, the both of them trying their hardest to keep from killing each other.

“You really think you know what’s good for Y/N, don’t you? All because she told you a couple of stories. You don’t even know half of the things she went through. I admit, none of us do. We’ve been having enough trouble trying to keep our damn heads above water. We might not have done a lot to save her, but at least we’re not dumb enough to trust the king of hell. Thanks to your plan, she is human. But she’s also having God knows what being done to her. And that’s not even mentioning the fact that Crowley—your buddy—took two people I cared about, too.“ Dean told the man the cold, hard truth about his actions. He watched as Josh’s face fell when he heard. "If they get hurt, their blood is on your hands. And if they do…you won’t be burying your family. They’ll be burying you.”

Dean forced his brother’s grip off of him as he headed for the front door, leaving a shocked Josh to stand in the middle of the library, thinking about what he had done. Josh stood there in complete and total silence as he found himself stumbling backwards to the couch. He didn’t realize the glass he had balanced tipped over, the whiskey he barely took a sip of spilled into the fabric as it reached for his jeans. Josh found himself plagued with terrifying imagines all while he sat there muttering, “I was only trying to help” underneath his breath.

\+ + +

Bobby packed up an overnight bag for the trip ahead of him and headed out after darkness fell to hit town tomorrow morning. The boys didn’t see Josh slip out and head back to the motel he had been staying at. Dean didn’t really care anymore about what happened to him. All he knew was that he needed to stop this mess before someone got hurt. While they might have been out an angel friend to trust, there was another one they knew that played no part in this. But might have a shred of decency in him to help out in a time of need.

The boys set up the proper materials they would need in order to summon an angel outside in the scrapyard on an abandoned hood of a car. Dean did the honors of lighting the match and throwing it into the mix of herbs Sam put together. Sparks and smoke ignited from the fire after making contact with the supplies needed to conduct the ritual before they fizzled out into nothing more than fog disappearing into the night air. The boys waited a moment before things started to happen. Streetlights began to flicker on and off before a chain reaction of light bulbs exploding set off, each of them going out before leaving the two men in almost darkness.

“I’m sorry, boys. Do I look like a manservant to you?” Balthazar, in all of his arrogant glory, stood on top of the hood of a car not too far from where the Winchesters stood. He didn’t seem all that happy to be summoned to have this chat in such an unwelcoming place of Bobby’s scrap yard. “No? No. Then quit ringing for me, please.”

“This is important, Balthazar.” Dean said to the angel.

“I was drinking ‘75 Dom out of a Soprano’s navel. That was important.” Balthazar told the boys of what he had been doing before he was wrongfully summoned here. He gave the brothers an annoyed look as he looked at the both of them. He found himself thrown off by the even number he was getting. “Aren’t there usually three of you? Where’s that darling friend of yours?”

“That’s why we called you here.” Sam said. “Crowley’s alive.”

Balthazar fell silent for a moment at hearing the the fake resurrection of a foe he didn’t have the pleasure of having the go around with you and the Winchesters had. The angel shrugged his shoulders as he stepped down to the ground. “Well,you’ve been scooped. Cas already told me.” Balthazar said. "Along with a scandalous piece of information about Y/N. Turns out she’s not all human, after all. Been helping our friends. Who would have seen that twist coming.”

“Did Cas tell you that he is Crowley’s butt buddy? Along with the fact that the both of them have been using Y/N for their own personal benefit over this past year. Did he tell you that,” Dean casually asked the angel as he stepped forward. “you smug little dick?”

Balthazar stared at the hunter with a slightly confused expression, “Excuse me?”

“Handshake deal. Go halfsies on all the souls of purgatory. But they needed some help on trying to accomplish that goal. Y/N was solely pulled out as a half demon again so she could help find purgatory. as made sure she didn’t know what she was doing.” Sam explained the situation. “But I’m sure he filled you in on that.”

The boys watched as Balthazar fell silent for a moment as he processed the piece of information that came out as a surprise to him. Cas wasn’t the type of angel who would do such a thing as to make someone do a job against their will. Along with stooping low and becoming friends with a thing like a demon. However, Balthazar wasn’t going to trust a few humans, so he decided to lie straight through his teeth until he got to the bottom of this. “Well, yes. Yes, of course he did. Yes.”

“Oh, yes, of course.” Sam nodded his head, smiling slightly at the angel’s reaction. “We can read it all over your face.”

“Look, Crowley and Cas pulled in one of Y/N’s friends to find a way to undo the crap they did. She’s human, but they took her. Along with two other people who are very important to me.“ Dean said, explaining the real reason why they had pulled the angel away from his night. Balthazar stared at the older Winchester with a slightly bored look, wondering why he should care. "Because maybe there is a shred of decency underneath this snarky crap. Now, Y/N’s not here to help swoon you into doing the right thing so you’re stuck with me. They’re innocent people and I’m asking for your help.”

"Hmm. I see. You know, I always liked Y/N over you two. She’s the perfect balance of feisty and yet kind in the eyes. I can appreciate who can handle her own. God knows she has to deal enough with the two of you.” Balthazar said, thinking about it for a moment as he finished the last of his champagne he brought along. “Fair enough.”

Balthazar disappeared from their sight after parting ways with two words that could mean an assortment of things. Dean looked around the scrapyard to see if he could find a trace of that smug angel, but Balthazar was nowhere to be seen. “Son of a bitch!” He yelled on the top of his lungs in frustration as he began slowly pacing forward.

“Dean, let’s just call Cas.” Sam said, attempting to persuade his older brother into getting some reliable help. “Maybe he doesn’t know anything—”

“You’re not call Cas.” Dean cut off his brother, telling him how it was going to be. Sam tried again to try and defend the angel, Dean snapped at him, having had enough of this argument already. “We’re not calling Cas.”

“So, what then?” Sam normally didn’t question his brother’s choices of what to do. But tonight he was on edge much as the older man. He stared at Dean for a moment, wondering what the both of them were going to do. If Dean had to be honest…he wasn’t sure. All he knew was that time was running out until Crowley decided to give up his end of the bargain.

\+ + +

Your mother used to say you could pick your friends, but not your family. You remembered she would always remind you when you would ask her to do something all your high school friends were allowed to do, but you couldn’t. She said that your friends were an extension that loved you very much, but sometimes, they didn’t always know what was best for you. “If all of your friends jumped off a bridge, would you do it?” In true teenage fashion, you would roll your eyes. She didn’t like a lot of your friends, too. But she always doted on Josh whenever he was around. She always would say how much of a gentleman and smart he was. She wanted you to hang around with people like him. A decade and a half later you took her advice, but you had a feeling she was wrong about him being smart. He hung around you for far too long, and you tainted him into making a choice that he regretted a little too late.

You tried to figure out what happened last night after your conversation with Cas that ended up with you drinking with Josh until the middle of the night. All you could remember was stumbling your way home after having a little too much alcohol and then being jumped by Crowley and his group of demons. You thought Josh had been one of the only people you could count on for not being apart of this lifestyle, but it turns out, he was sucked in for all the wrong reasons. The king of hell and the angel of the Lord persuaded him into doing their dirty work so they could fix a little problem. You don’t think this was part of their deal where it ended up with you stuck in an abandoned looking building, unsure of how much time had passed since you woke up here.

You sat on the concrete ground with your back pressed against a metal bar that sat in the middle of the room as you nursed a pounding headache. Maybe it was from a hangover, maybe it was the blow to the head you took from the dried and crusty blood that matted down your hair. You tried to look for a way out of here, but the heavy metal door that you tried to open wouldn’t budge and the window that showed another building was too high for you to reach. You were left in the complete darkness, wondering if the boys knew where you were. And if Cas had something to do with this. You bit your bottom lip, contemplating why he would do such a thing to you. He was the one who made you human in the first place, that you remembered before slipping out of consciousness.This had Crowley’s name written all over it. He was keeping you for security. Or maybe since he got what he truly wanted…you were waiting around until he had one of his goons come in here to kill you.

The troublesome thought came at the wrong time when you suddenly found yourself overwhelmed with the sight of a light from the outside hall illuminate the room, causing you to shield your eyes. You heard a few voices and a shuffle of feet, among those voices there was a feminine one that you recognized. You put your hand down to see a pair of faces you weren’t expecting to see. A sense of fear washed over you as you quickly pushed yourself up to your feet when you saw Lisa and her son, Ben, being shoved inside the room along with you. Quick as you could, you pushed yourself up to your feet, wondering why the hell they were here. You looked away from the demon’s to see Lisa was staring at you with a slightly nervous look.

“What the hell is going on here?” You demanded to know. “Where the hell is your boss?”

“Conducting some important business, but we’ll let Crowley know you wanted to speak to him.” One of the demons said, acknowledging your questions with a simple answer with a voice dripping with sarcasm. He looked over at his partner as the both of them let out a low, dark chuckle. Both of them were silent for a moment as they moved their gaze from Lisa and to you. An uneasy feeling settled in your stomach when you saw him coming in your direction, and from that familiar look in his eye that you saw before in hell, you attempted to back away from him. But it wasn’t like you had anywhere to hide. You winced in pain when you felt his had wrap around your arm, roughly yanking you forward to the entrance without much of a choice. “Come on, sweetheart. Someone’s been waiting an awful long time to meet you.”

When you made it to the outside hallway, you were forced to watch as the door was shut on the Braden family, trapping the alone in the dark as they were left with questions you couldn’t answer. While one of them had their back turned to you and the other standing guard, you made your move when you thought you had the chance, knowing it might be your only way. You roughly elbowed the demon who was holding you, knocking him back as he released his grip, his partner stopped what he was doing and turned around, wondering what kind of trouble you were causing. You swung back your arm and attempted to punch him, but you didn’t take into consideration the other demon wasn’t going to stand down with a simple elbow to the gut.

You felt him grab a fistful of your hair and shove you forward to the wall, banging your head against the concrete, making you get a taste of your own medicine. You groaned in pain at the way your head was feeling like it was going to explode. It was enough of a distraction for one demon to finish locking up the family as the other swiftly threw you over his shoulder, leaving all the blood to rush to your head as you watched the dizzy figure of his partner follow behind. You tried your hardest to wiggle out of his grip, but he had a solid grip around your waist. You were stuck like this until you made it to the end of the hall and stepped into another room.

You were dropped into an uncomfortable feeling chair and barely given a second to get yourself composed before you felt your wrists being pinned to the arm rests, handcuffing you to the chair. You let out a low noise as you tried your hardest to somehow get free, but you were stuck. You were about to open your mouth and ask what kind of sick game they were trying to play with you. But a voice stopped you from speaking first.

“That’ll be all, boys.” yours. But you didn’t say anything. You furrowed your brow as you looked around the room, wondering if you were starting to lose your mind from the concussion you had, only you stumbled upon someone that was almost like looking into a mirror. You could feel your mouth open slightly as you stared at the woman who approached you. She had the same exact…well, everything. She must have noticed your gawking stares as she broke into a grin. “I know. And to think, you lost all of this forever.”

“You…” You didn’t know what to call the doppelganger that stood in front of you. She stood above you with all the same details that you shared with her. You kept wondering if this was what they had planned all along. Create some kind of Y/N clone that held all the worst things about you, the demon side that you tried so hard to get rid of. And while you accomplished that goal, you were left with consequences and at her mercy. All you could call her was, “Bitch.”

“I know what you are. What am I?” She mocked you in a childish voice as she stepped over to a rolling table you didn’t notice was there until she stood there for a moment. She waved her fingers over the things you couldn’t see before she broke out into another smile, picking up what appeared to be a knife. You nervously swallowed as she gestured a finger for someone to come forward. “Remember that time we went into that fake universe where you pretended to be someone else? You got to live up the lap of luxury while you sat on your ass drinking champagne and ogling at a ring you could never afford, dreaming of wedding bells. That was fun, wasn’t it? But you do need a finger for that, right? It’s the…”

You suddenly realized what she was doing when you saw her come forward and placed the knife dangerously close to your hand. You could only lift your hand far as you could before the cuffs, stopped you. But a demon she hithered forward pinned the left hand to the arm rest, giving you no chance to get free. “Don’t do this.” You were trying your hardest to sound brave as you felt the blade of the knife dig into your skin. “You’re only—”

“Hurting myself? Yeah, that’s the point, idiot. Now, hold her still.” She instructed the demon as she got ready. “I need something to bring to the boys when I visit them tomorrow. And what better than the ring finger of their beloved? Just a reminder there’s not gonna be a happily ever after for you or Dean. Not after I get done with you, bitch.”

She went in for it as you felt the knife dig deeper into your skin. You tried your hardest not to let out any sort of sound to give the demon satisfaction you knew she wanted to hear. While you bit your bottom lip hard as you could, your teeth sank into your skin, drawing up blood as she continued to moved the knife back and forth. hitting the bone until you felt a part of you go loose. She broke into a grin when you let out a piercing scream of pain at what she had done, letting the noise echo through the halls, traumatizing the poor family that was left, wondering what might be waiting for them next.

\+ + +

If there was one thing Dean knew, it was all the ways to make a demon spill their guts. Figuratively and literally. He utilized the skills he learned from hell and the knowledge required for a hunter to know about what could slow down the enemy. Demons had a few weaknesses that could hurt them. Holy water, salt and iron. Along with something no other hunter had. A special knife that actually inflicted pain on them, or, in the case of the two other demons lying on the ground, kill them for good. Mix that together with a man’s rage and he was the storm none of these sorry sons of bitches excepted coming from what they did.

Dean had went through at least two useless meat suits alone this morning that only gave him bits of incoherent sentences that ended with them coughing up blood or pleading for their lives when they admitted they didn’t know anything. The man gave into their desire for death when he knew they had no clue what their king was up to. He ruthlessly stabbed them with the knife, sending them back to the fiery pit where they belonged. When the second to last demon was gone, Dean stood in the middle of the garage area he converted to his torture chamber, a thin layer of sweat covered his body as he caught his breath from the rigorous activities.

The older Winchester examined the bloody knife for a moment. If this was any other day, maybe he would feel an ounce of remorse for what he was doing, resorting back to old habits that he long swore off. Long as he kept moving, he wouldn’t have to think about anything, except finding answers. While there was only one more left on the chopping block, he knew there was plenty more from where he found them. All he had to do was put out his neck and they were lining up to try and get a piece of him. Only if those sorry sacks knew what they were up against.

The last demon was shown the exact same treatment like the rest of his friends; he was thrown into the devil’s trap painted on the floor and shoved into a chair so he couldn’t do anything stupid. Dean began circling around the demon, and not even a second into the conversation, the demon was claiming his innocence. “Look, I don’t know anything.”

“Yeah, we’ll see.” Dean muttered underneath his breath. It was too early to tell if what the demon claimed was the truth or not. He wasn’t going to fall for the same excuse he heard two times already from his friends. He would wait until the demon was begging for mercy to consider.

Dean walked over to the station he set up for himself filled with all sorts of tools he used on a few other demons to try and get them to talk, only to no avail. But he was giving up hope yet. He reached for the half drunk bottle of whiskey he’d been nursing all night and took another sip. Dean decided to take a small break while he contemplated new punishments for the scum. He heard one of the wooden doors quietly creak open when his brother stepped inside after wrapping up a phone call with Bobby to see how things were on his end. While the older hunter was having a bit more luck chasing down this Lovecraft lead, the boys weren’t finding squat.

Sam couldn’t help but notice his older brother was the same way when he left him. Dangerously focused and full of rage that hadn’t faded since he got the disturbing phone call with Crowley. It was clear that Dean would stop at nothing until he got answers. No matter the cost on his health or the body that started to pile around him. And in this case as he took yet another sip of the whiskey, his liver’s future wasn’t looking so good.

“Dean.” Sam spoke his brother’s name in a quiet voice. Dean calmly acknowledged the man’s presence as he grabbed a rag to clean still wet blood off the knife. The younger Winchester could see the man was getting himself too wrapped up in this with no signs of stopping. He slowly approached the workbench Dean set up for himself, attempting to try and talk some sense into the man of taking a break. “Look, man. You’re running on, what, coffee and whiskey and whatever else you’re taking.”

“And?” Dean asked, not seeming to notice what the problem was.

“And we’re grasping at straws here, man.” Sam said. He knew the truth was a hard pill to swallow, but his brother wasn’t going to acknowledge the fact that maybe not everything was it seemed. Perhaps Crowley had kept all of his plans for a select few. And maybe the one person who they were thinking was the enemy might be clueless as the both of them. But he knew Dean would rather continue slaughtering through demon’s than pray to Cas for some extra help.

“If I kill enough of these demons, eventually one of them’s gonna tell me where Crowley is.” Dean said. Sam let out a sigh as he looked at his brother from his way of thinking. It worked once before when it came to figuring out what Cas was doing, it might be good enough to work again. When he got nothing back that sounded like a protest, Dean figured their conversation was over. “So we good?”

“Look, you’ve been at it for a while. Why don’t you at least let me take over. You deserve a break.” Sam said. Dean shot down the offer as he started to walk back over to the demon that was impatiently waiting for him. The younger Winchester reached out a hand to stop the man in attempt to get him to back off the ledge before he could burn himself out. “Dean—”

“Sam, back off.” Dean cut off his little brother, stopping whatever sort of lecture the man wanted to say in order to make him feel better. The younger Winchester gave his brother a look, reminding him that he wasn’t alone in this situation here. But Dean, like always, felt he was the one who needed to carry the heavy burden on his shoulders. “Lisa and Ben, wherever they are, that is a hundred percent on me. The reason why Y/N ran off in the first place is because I lied to her. And I promised her I wouldn’t. If they’re hurt…”

"This isn’t just your battle to fight, either.” Sam reminded his brother. “Y/N’s my best friend, too. I want to find them much as you do.”

Dean knew in the back of his mind that his brother was right. Sam had a lot to lose if something were to happen to you. He would be losing a friend that had seen him through thick and thin, who always stuck by his side even in the worst of it when he didn’t deserve anyone’s love. But Dean couldn’t drag his brother into this mess. Not in this way of torturing demons and seeing a monster who he tried so hard to shed. “I’ll yell if I need you.”

Sam wanted nothing more than to stand his ground and try to convince his brother to at least think about taking a break and eating something. But he knew from his own experience there was no talking down a Winchester from what they wanted. Sam let out a defeated sigh and let his brother get back to what he wanted. He had a plan in mind that he knew Dean wasn’t going to like, and it might not even work, but he had to at least try. Sam slipped out the same way that he came in, leaving his brother to torture the demon so he could send a prayer to an angel he still wanted to consider his friend. Because, much as Sam sometimes hated about himself, the man still tried to look for the good in people even when they had betrayed him,

“Castiel, it’s Sam. Uh…” Sam began making his way back to Bobby’s house. Along the way he decided to talk to an old friend, hoping he might be listening in. “I don’t know if you’re in on this while Y/N/Lisa thing. But if you have any heart, whatsoever, you know Y/N’s your friend. She would do anything for you. Don’t do her wrong like this…Just bring them back to us, man. Come on. Please. I’m begging you.” He wasn’t sure if his prayers were getting anywhere, but he was pouring out his heart and soul here. Sam looked around at the junkyard, hoping that he could find the angel in the distance, but all there was out here was just him. “I am begging you. Bring back Y/N. Do you understand?”

Sam took one more look around the junkyard to find a trace of anyone else here with him, but he was alone. He felt his heart sink at the harsh reality that he was having to come to conclusion with. The young man wasn’t losing just a good friend, but a lifelong one too. Sam let out a heavy sigh and headed back to the house like he intended, not realizing he passed by the angel, who had heard every word he said. Cas was unsure of what happened over the past few days while he was banished somewhere across the way. All he knew was that him and Crowley were going to have a serious talk about how to handle a situation.

Dean slipped himself back into the habit of interrogating a demon who might have been more talkative than the last two he got. Maybe it was because they laid not too far from where he sat, dead, posing as a reminder not to piss off this Winchester. Dean started off with a few punches when the demon thought he could mock him in true fashion of how most of these thing started before cleaning off the blood on the demon’s face with some holy water. When Dean got serious that’s when the demon started to realize this wasn’t going to be the same cut and dry routine like he was used to. The demon said the same line his friends had said: “I don’t know anything.” That wasn’t what he wanted to hear. So, Dean decided to get more…creative.

The older Winchester turned his back for only a few moments so he could grab a syringe from his work bench and fill it up with a nasty concoction of holy water and salt. If he really wanted this son of a bitch to start singing, there was nothing like liquid fire coursing through their veins to get them to realize Dean wasn’t playing around. “I promise you, pal. You start talking…Or I swear,” Dean threatened the demon as he lightly pressed down on the syringe, watching as a gush of the water squirt out, making sure it was working properly. He turned around so he could face the demon again as he finished his promise. “I will rip your skin off.”

“I always loved it when you talk dirty.”

Dean found himself stopping dead in his tracks at what he heard. The first thing he noticed when he turned around was the demon he was interrogating for answers didn’t seem useful anymore. He was hunched over in his chair, blood drooling out of his mouth and into his lap from what was done to him while the hunter’s back was turned. Dean slowly tore his gaze away from the dead demon to see where the voice was coming from. Across the devil’s trap stood a nightmare that he hoped he would never have to personally see. But she was here. Alive and in the flesh with a devilish smirk on her lips.

She looked a lot like you—hell, for a second Dean thought that it was you. The woman that he was desperately trying so hard to save. For a moment he put his guard down and let himself believe the woman he was staring at was really you. However reality came crashing down on him when he found himself staring into the dark, empty eyes of the demon that had taunted him for years. She leaned herself against the wall with her arms crossed over her chest, her chin titled high as she stared at the hunter with a smile. It wasn’t warm or kind like he expected out of you. All he could feel from her was sheer arrogance, and a coldness that he never felt from you before. Because this wasn’t you. It was everything you had spent your entire life trying to fight.

“Hi, honey. I’m home!” You greeted the man in a one of those high-pitched housewife voices from the sitcoms dating back to the fifties. You pushed yourself up from the metal shelf you had been leaning against that was cluttered with all sorts of mechanical parts. Your eyes went back to normal as you traced the devil’s trap line with a careful step, knowing it wouldn’t be good for the demon trapped inside the body. Dean wondered to himself if that was the original body. You noticed his wandering gaze, and to satisfy his curiosity, you broke out into a smile as you did a little twirl for him. “You like it? It’s new. Thought I’d pop in and see if I could fool you into thinking it was the real thing. It’s not. Unfortunately.”

Dean slowly began to back away from you when he noticed you were starting to approach him. And from the smirk settling at the end of your lips, you weren’t here to have a civil conversation. The demon knife was right behind him. "You got a lot of nerve showing up here like this.” Dean said between clenched teeth. You raised your brow slightly in curiosity as to why that might be, but you knew than to tell him why. You wanted to hear him beg for the whereabouts of his three favorite people. “Where the hell are they, you black eyed bitch?”

“Who?” You wondered, pretending to play dumb as you crossed your arms over your chest. “I’m juggling a lot of people here, Dee. You gotta be more specific.”

“How about Crowley, for starters. You know, the one who trapped you in your own meat suit for his own purposes. Don’t you want to help us take that son of a bitch down?” Dean thought he could distract you with the opportunity to joining the winning side long enough to get to the work bench. You pretended to think about the opportunity before you shook your head. “Wow. You are not who I thought you were. I always pegged you as the demon who would want hell all for yourself. All or nothing. Guess I underestimated you, sweetheart. You really like it when the big boys tell you what to do, h—”

Dean couldn’t finish his insult when he felt himself flying backwards and roughly landing against one of the shelves behind him. He had only a few seconds to recover from the blow before he felt a dangerously rough grip around his throat. Your nails sank into his skin as you forced him to stare at you with the inky black eyes he had seen on a handful of different occasions. Each time he had seen them you, the woman he knew, was still in there. She always managed to pull back on the reigns before the bitch she fought with went too far. Only the person staring back at him was in full possession of her own body. No voice was going to stop her.

“No. I just learned to be smarter of who I do my business with. Once you get past that God awful arrogant accent you realize Crowley’s not that bad of a guy. He knows I could easily destroy him from the inside out. As that saying goes, keep your friends close and your enemies closer.” You said. You tighten your grip around the man’s neck as you leaned forward to him until he could feel your warm breath roll off onto his cheek. You kept quiet for a moment as you stared at him, making Dean grow uncomfortable from what you were thinking. “Do you realize how long I spent just imagine all the different ways I could torture you? How much I just wanted to take control and rip your throat out with my bare hands. But I couldn’t…Not until now. Now I’m gonna make you suffer in ways your pretty little head can’t imagine.”

Dean could feel your grip around his throat loosen just enough for him to inhale small pants of breaths. He guessed this was because you wanted to hear him beg. The older Winchester’s gaze moved away from you for a split second when he saw something out from the corner of his eye. Dean continued to play it cool as his brother—that sneaky bastard—crept up from behind with an iron crowbar. One thing that all demons had in common was pride. They all thought they could get the jump on the Winchesters and make them do what they wanted. You were about to have a hard lesson when you felt a sudden pain in the back of your head, taking you by surprise. You released your grip around Dean as you stumbled forward to the ground.

"Sure thing, sweetheart.” Dean said. Sam lunged forward when you snarled at them in anger at what the younger Winchester had done and got ready to attack again. But before you could, Sam swung the crowbar, knocking you unconscious. “Right after we’re done with you.”

\+ + +

Sam disposed of the dead body lying in the chair and tossed it with the others while Dean picked up other demon that was the doppelganger to the woman who had sent them down this long and harrowing path to find her again. The real you. The boys made sure the demon was nice and tied up and stepped back, waiting while you slowly came back around into consciousness. Maybe Sam was right about this one. Perhaps it was better if the both of them got in on this. Dean stood behind the devil’s trap, watching as your head slowly nodded slightly before you finally began to wake up. A slight groan of pain escaped your lips as you came back around with a pounding headache. You looked up to see the sight of the Winchester brothers surrounding you. The devil’s trap that was a demon’s enemy kept you under lock down.

A look of displeasure crossed your face as you attempted to break the leather straps that kept you in the chair. However you weren’t the one to complain about your accommodations. It was only more material you could work with to amuse yourself with. You leaned back in your seat and eyed both of the boys with a slightly growing smirk. “Well, if it wasn’t my lucky day. I get not one—but two Winchester men. I’m digging the leather, by the way. Nice change of things.” You said, turning your gaze over to the older brother to toss him a wink. Dean showed no signs of being amused as he stared at you with a threatening glare that would have made any other demon start to squirm in their seat. You found it cute how tough he thought he was. “What can I do for you, boys?”

“How about you tell us where your boss is.” Sam said. You found the title Crowley was being addressed by strike a nerve in you. You narrowed your eyes on the younger man as he stared at you with a smile of amusement from your reaction. Out of anything to make you tick, it was being thought lower than the demon you became awfully good friends with quickly. “Or, if you want to make it out alive, tell us where you’re keeping everyone.”

“Why ruin the fun so quickly, Sammy? The party’s just getting started. For me, for you…for your little friend.” You said. You watched as the boys’ expressions faltered slightly. They knew it was a hint something sinister was unfolding while they were gone. “Honestly, I really didn’t come here to kill you. Not yet, at least. I wanted to deliver you a present. It’s in my pocket. Why don’t you grab it?”

Dean watched as you lifted your shoulder best as you could from the way you were strapped in the chair so you could show the boys that there was something in did stuffed in the pocket on your shirt. He noticed that you were also leaning far enough so your shirt scooped down low enough to reveal a perfect view of your body he had seen a thousand times before. And while it never ceased to amaze him of how much he loved every since inch of your body, this wasn’t the one he remembered touching, it was one of pure evil. Just the sight of it made his blood boil as you batted your lashes at him, continuing to pretend all of this was casual talk. “Come on. It’s not gonna bite. I promise.”

The boys exchanged a look as they silently communicated back and forth of what they should do. It could be a million different things. Their first instinct was to think it was some kind of trap. But they would only find out if they were to look. Dean did what he was told. You watched as he stepped inside the devil’s trap and walked over to you. He slowly reached out and put a hand inside the fabric pocket of your shirt, digging below to feel something like silk touch his fingers. He grabbed it and pulled it out. Dean hesitantly noticed it wasn’t very big, the ball of fabric was about the size of his palm. When you reassured him yet again it was nothing to be afraid of, he didn’t know why he listened to you. He inhaled a deep breath and pulled on the knot, letting the fabric unravel in his hand, revealing something he would have never suspected.

“Son of a bitc—Damn it! Damn it!”

Dean’s natural instinct was to flinch and drop the thing when he discovered what it was, letting it fall to the ground where it collected dust and debris on the concrete. Sam stepped forward to see what sort of thing that would be making his brother so angry. But when he discovered the bloody severed finger, he stopped dead before he could take another step. He could feel his mouth parting open as he felt himself becoming slightly nauseous. It wasn’t the body part that was making him feel sick, it was thinking about who it belonged to and the pain they were forced to go through in order for Crowley to make a bold statement.

You let out a throaty laugh at the reaction from the boys that was too priceless, it was better than you could imagine. You watched as Sam decided to be the brave soldier who reached down to grab the dismembered finger with the fabric it was wrapped in. “I’m gonna…I'm—” Sam tried to tell his brother that he was going to clean off the blood and bits of dirt that formed in the wound before putting it in the fridge. The younger Winchester remembered reading somewhere that a severed finger could survive up to twelve hours. And four days if chilled.Dean nodded his head to the door, doing what felt needed to be done.

When the door shut behind Sam, and the sound of his footsteps distanced away closer to the house, Dean didn’t hesitate anymore in acting on his aggression that had been building closer to the edge. He lunged forward at you with the knife in his hand in a stabbing motion, appearing like he was about to strike. You knew better than to flinch and make him have the satisfaction that you were the tiniest bit nervous. The hunter ignored his feelings when he looked at you, the woman he called the love of his life, because all he could see right now was a monster. He grabbed a fistful of your hair and yanked your head back, forcing you to stare at him as he exposed the hollow of your neck to rest the knife against the skin.

The slightest movement made the jagged edges of the blade pierce your skin. You stared at him with a smirk at how he was acting as he drew in deep breaths like a wild man hellbent on letting all of his frustrations out. You knew he wanted to do it, but deep down, he couldn’t do it.

“What the hell did you do, bitch?” Dean snarled the question at you with an aggressive voice. The older Winchester stared at you with a hostile expression as you felt the hand holding the knife against your neck began to shake ever so slightly. You knew it wasn’t out of anger. You could see right through his facade. Dean was right where you wanted him. He was shook to his very core at this situation he couldn’t fix. He was powerless at what the right thing to do was.

Dean’s natural instinct was to kill you like the rest of the demons that crossed his way. He didn’t hesitate when he took down Ruby and Azazel. And he knew he wouldn’t bat an eye if Crowley showed his punk ass up here. But he found himself holding back on hurting you. It was like the time his own father told him to kill his own brother if Sam ever went dark side. Dean kept pushing down the possibility for long as he could until the reality came true.

He knew it would have saved the world a lot of trouble if he did take his father’s word of caution to heart and put a bullet in Sam’s head when he discovered he was one of Azazel’s special children. Or when Sam gave the biggest warning of all when he began putting all of his trust into Ruby over his own family, who got him addicted to demon blood. Even when he was being worn by Lucifer Dean still wouldn’t back down from trying to save the man. Because all he could see was his little brother, his family. And if there was one lesson he learned the most important from his childhood was that family was something to always fight for and protect.

Dean always knew there was something wrong with you when he learned the truth about how you really came into this world from a crossroads demon after he sold his soul for the first time. He kept the knowledge in the back of his mind, but like his brother, he didn’t look at you any differently. Because all of you had a darkness inside of you that you tried to fight. For Dean it was torturing souls in hell and his crippling pain, Sam it was the demon blood and his purpose to be Satan’s vessel, and for you it was being born with a dark side of a monster you hunted. Even when he saw you with black eyes, Dean always knew that the real you was buried deep down, and you always fought it off.

But what happens when the monster was stripped away from the person he loved and what he was staring at him right in the face? What laid beneath him wasn’t you, it was the thing that you had spent your entire life fighting. Dean knew the right thing to do was to kill you once and for all. The demon that had been haunting the woman he loved. The real question was, could he separate the woman from the monster? And the answer was no. He couldn’t do it, even with three lives on the line. You had him right where you wanted him. And he could tell from the pleased look on your face. It reminded him of the times when you—the real, human you—would get when you won an argument on him. That face he couldn’t stay mad at…

“Guess who’s finger it is, Dean. Come on.” Your voice broke him out of his troubled thoughts, reminding him that you weren’t the woman he loved. The real Y/N was in some abandoned building, surrounded by demons. You raised your brow slightly as he ignored your question. “I’ll give you a hint. It’s not Ben’s. He’s too young. Do you think it’s Lisa’s? Maybe. I thought about it. She seems like a real fun chick. But not the kind of stuff I have in mind. She’d get boring real quick. I like someone with prior experience. Someone I knew through and through. All the right buttons I can push.”

You could tell he got his answer when he let go of the grip around your hair as he dropped the knife away, too. The anger was slowly to fade away as the fear settled in when you continued on. "It’s her ring finger, by the way. Figured I’d start with the most useless one. Not like you two are gonna get married. I mean, the thought did cross her mind every once in a while. However the wheels really started going off in her head when we went to that alternative universe. She slipped on a ring on that little finger and thought about it. Y/N Winchester does have a nice sound to it, doesn’t it? Too bad it’s never gonna happen.”

"You have five seconds to tell me where they are.” Dean tried to ignore what he was hearing as he pointed the blade in your direction, as if that was supposed to scare you into telling him what he wanted to know. You stared at him with a blank expression. “Or I swear—”

“You two never talked about getting married. But she had a feeling you wanted to. She wanted to be that couple. To be better than anyone else. She wanted to get married cause you two had something real. Something your parents never had. She thought that the both of you could survive whatever life threw at you. Look at where it ended the both of you.” You said. Your cynicism about how the situation was playing out was the truth. “I guess you really only need the finger…you know, what the hell? Let’s have some fun. Pop a ring on that sucker and let’s have ourselves a shotgun wedding!”

Dean heard of that term before. It happened when a girl had an unwanted surprise with a man after sharing a moment of intimacy without protection. His expression dropped, along with his heart in his stomach as he thought about the possibilities. He looked over at the demon and ignored his shock as he threatened the demon. “I’m gonna kill you, bitch.”

“Do it.” You said, pushing him closer to the edge of snapping and falling into the trap you set. Dean didn’t move. He continued to stare at you as the grip around the knife tightened until his knuckles turned a ghostly white. He wanted to. But you knew he couldn’t. “You know what will happen if you do. Y/N will be good as dead. And you know that’s not a good thing. Two for the price of one. But…do you really think it would be a bad idea? It’s not like you wanted a kid, anyway. mean, like you said, you’re not father material.”

“Shut up.” Dean grunted. “You don’t know me.”

“I know enough that you couldn’t even stay with Lisa and that brat of hers without screwing it all to hell. All you’re good at is slicing throats and watching the people you love die bloody.” You said, taunting him with his own confession he unwilling gave to a goddess of truth. That was also when the real woman he loved confessed how her feelings for him never changed. “Kind of fitting the mother of your child is gonna go the same way.”

Dean forced himself to step away from the demon before he could do something he would regret. All at once he was on the verge of…he didn’t know what. Sheer panic, rage…maybe even the slightest bit of happiness? Only for it all to be washed away with a fearful denial. Demons liked to mess with people’s heads. They used their own desires and pinned it against their prey. He did it to you—the real you—in hell when Alistair offered him the chance to torture souls.

Everything about a person was all laid out there for the taking. Dean was taught the best way to break someone was to take everyone they loved and turn those happy memories into nightmares that make their worst fears seem like a walk in the park. That demon bitch, she knew everything about you. All of your thoughts running through your head were her own. She must have known about your secret desire to have children. It might have been a topic of discussion between you and him, but you probably dwelled on the past the first year while you were back from the dead. Along with Dean’s supposed desire to have a family.

Dean knew better than to trust a demon and the threats they make, along with what is the truth and some attempt at getting under his skin. He labored his breathing as he stared at the bitch who looked exactly like the woman he loved. She returned his glare with a simple stare. “You’re lying.”

“Now, why would I do such a thing? This is a miracle. A little piece of you is gonna be in this world. The Winchester tragedy can move onto the next generation. And they don’t even have to be born for that to happen.” You said, your tone of voice was too cheerful. Dean looked away from you when his eyes began wandering around the place. He wanted nothing more than to cut the bitch up, make the demon confess where the real you was. But he couldn’t help himself dwell in the possibility that what the demon was say might be true. The both of you were so careful, making sure to use the right safety precautions…"Except last month. Remember? The both of you went on that ‘supply’ run out of town. Only it ended with you taking her over the Impala. And man, wasn’t that good. Been awhile since the both of you had a second alone. While it was good, you were so worried about getting in her, you forgot one thing…”

Dean had to walk away from the demon so he could gather his senses together. Before he could do something he would regret. He wandered over to his work station littered with all sorts of tools that could make the demon scream in pain. But all he wanted right now was the bottle of whiskey. His threatening glare fell as he stared at the wall, his eyes glazing over as he felt his stomach tighten at the mere thought. There was no way it was possible. Dean reached for the bottle and took a long, and much needed drink. But no amount of alcohol would calm his nerves from what was happening.

“You know, come to think of it…I wonder who would be the father. I mean, let’s not forget—Y/N had you and your brother. Talk about keeping it in the family. Not that I blame her. The both of you could make her scream. I bet Crowley’s goons are getting the same reaction from her. But not the fun, sexy kind. More like the begging for mercy, 'Please God make it stop’ kind of screaming.” You said. Dean could feel himself becoming overwhelmed with too many emotions to process at what he was hearing. He shut his eyes as he exhaled a breath. What he wouldn’t do just for the nightmare to end. When you spoke up again, you used a baby like voice to mock him. “She sure put up a fight when I cut off her widdle finger.”

You wiggled your index finger up from the armrest when Dean turned around to face you again with a grin on your lips at how defeated he looked. You decided to be the slightest bit nice and throw him a bone. “Fine. Maybe I’m being mean here. I’ll make a deal with you, hun. You are all about saving people, right? Okay. Pick a family to save and we’ll call it even.”

Dean heard every word you said, but he stared at you like you were talking gibberish. "What?”

“Pick. A. Family.” You repeated your words, this time, much slower for him to understand. “Come on. You know how this goes. Y/N did it when she picked you over Sammy. So…who gets left on the cutting room floor? Lisa or Y/N? I know, it’s a big decision. Choosing either your side chick slut or the dumb bitch who keeps crawling back to you time after time. Even after all the things you did to her in hell. Which, by the way, thanks for that. Really helped boost my ego.”

"You’re getting off on this, aren’t you?” Dean asked you as he narrowed his eyes slightly on you.

“And you aren’t I mean, look at yourself…this is second nature to you. You learned from the very best and this is what you do? Torturing low level demons you know damn well who have no clue where Crowley is. This is compared to what you really can do. So why not unleash the beast on someone who can handle it? I know you really want to.” You tried to persuade the hunter, but he kept staring at you with those green eyes filled with fear of hurting you. You rolled your eyes and decided to take another route. “Should I get into character? Make this feel more…natural? Like old times?”

Dean watched as you inhaled a deep breath as you adjusted your body best that you could from how you were positioned in the chair. You shut your eyes for a brief moment and composed yourself, gathering the memories of the time from what felt to be life ago. Dean felt himself taken back to that very moment when he saw you finally open your eyes. The arrogance and anger was replaced with…fear. Pure fear of terror as you stared at him like he was the monster.

“Dean,” You choked out his name as your bottom lip began to tremble as tears began to form in your wide eyes. Dean stared at you with uncertainty, suddenly wondering what was going on. He gave you a worried expression as he wondered for a moment if it was really you. He found himself being pulled back into the devil’s trap as he inched closer to you. Only when you spoke again, he suddenly realized what you was trying to do. “Please. Don’t hurt me again. Alistair is lying to you. You gotta believe me. I didn’t mean to get you killed by Lilith. I didn’t, I swear! Please…I can’t take it much longer.”

The older Winchester found himself staring at you with complete disgust at what you were doing. You were trying to recreate a memory from the time in hell while he tortured souls. And yours was the very first one. He took a step back, not realizing that his boot accidentally scraped away part of the devil’s trap, releasing you from the hold it had on you. You didn’t make your move just yet. You waited until he was standing over you, with those eyes filled with what seemed like guilt at what you were subjecting him to while he strolled down memory lane of a time that he tried so desperately to hide. Only it was the perfect distraction.

“Now, ask yourself. Who’s the real monster here, Dean?” You asked him. “Because remember, you helped make me this way. And I never properly thanked you for that, did I?”

Dean would realize his mistake when he watched your eyes flicker black, giving him a hint that things were about to turn something. Before he could use the knife that was still in his hand,, you didn’t even need to lift a finger as he went flying back to the van that was just across the garage. His body hit the vehicle with enough force to shatter the windows. While he was trying to recover from the blow he took, you worked on getting yourself free.

You easily snapped off the bonds that held you and pushed yourself back up to your feet before you were back over at the man’s side. Before he could try and make a move, you shoved him back, pinning him against the van by grabbing ahold of his neck and squeezing the flesh until you felt him take his last breath. You stared at him with snarling lips at the possibilities of what you could do to the Winchesters. Cas had told Crowley the Winchesters were off limits, but nothing to you. And you were about to have a field day with them,

"You know what my favorite kind of torture is? Physical is fun, but wounds can heal. What really damages a person…is the mental games you can play on simple folk like you.” You whispered to him, squeezing his neck even harder, wanting to feel his bones break in your grip. But before he passed out from the lack of oxygen, you decided to give him a piece of mind on the scare you gave him earlier about a responsibility he would never be good for. “Relax, bucko. You’re not gonna be a daddy…not to whatever fetus that doomed to grow in Y/N disease ridden womb or that little brat, Ben. Because you’re not father material. You’re not good for anything. And you know that.”

You had all the intentions of taking your sweet time of killing Dean before moving onto the other brother, who remained clueless of what was going on between the both of you. You watched in sickening pleasure as Dean’s eyelids began to flutter at his surroundings began to appear hazy. The man could feel himself slowly slipping out of consciousness from the grip around his throat. However before his vision could go completely black, something of a miracle happened.

Dean blinked, and just like that, he felt the grip around his throat be released after what felt like an eternity. He quickly inhaled a deep breath of air his lungs were demanding over the past grueling minute and came back to his senses. Dean looked around the garage to see that you had vanished from his sight, and replaced with someone else that he had been hard to ignore. A friend turned enemy…Cas stood across from the man, appearing with an expression that seemed like the angel wanting to talk.

\+ + +

Darkness had fallen outside an hour ago and Sam still hadn’t seen any signs of his brother after the demon vanished. He left the two of them alone for ten minutes to figure out what somebody was supposed to do with a finger. Sam shuddered each time he felt the outline of the limb in the silk fabric. It made his mind wonder what kind of excruciating pain you had to go through. What sort of other things that were happening as him and his brother scrambled to find a location from demons that didn’t know much of anything from the handful Dean tried to interrogate.

Sam tried his hardest to shake the different scenarios that kept playing out in his mind, but what really had been on his mind was how his brother got the disturbed look expression on his face when he stepped back in the garage. He had only gone away after storing the dismembered finger into the freezer for when you might need it. Sam suspected the demon had spent the time while he was gone saying all sorts of things to get under Dean’s skin to make him fall into such a state. When Sam tried asking what she might have said to make Dean so worked up, his older brother responded with complete silence.

Sam wasn’t the one to drink his problems away, but he wasn’t a stranger to warming up to the bottle when the times called for it. He felt the mood was right to indulge in a bottle after learning his best friend was kidnapped by the same demon who had pulled you from hell all to put you under heinous torture for the fun of it. And there was matters about dealing with a demon—the one who had been attached you since God knows how long—was freed after all this time to raise a little hell. Along with all of that trouble, there was still a rogue angel, someone that he used to call his friend, on the loose who might have been part of all this entire mess. Not to mention, the poor Braden family, innocent casualties in all of this mess.

The younger Winchester abandoned his research he’d been conducting on his laptop while he sat at the desk in the library. He’d been learning what he could about the horror writer and why he would want to open up a door to purgatory. He skimmed through a few of his stories he found as he nursed a glass of whiskey. Sam finished the last of his drink and sent himself on the quest to refill his glass. He wandered into the kitchen and found the bottle exactly where he left it. He fetched the bottle off the counter and poured himself a hefty amount this time, not sure what else more he could do that would require him in a sober state. It was a pitiful thought to have, but Sam didn’t have you here to snap him out like you always did when he started to lose hope.

Sam let out a faint sigh from the defeated thought and headed back to the library to finish the reading he started. However the young man could only take a few steps before he found himself not alone in the Singer household anymore. The hunter narrowed his eyes on a face he thought he wouldn’t see much of again. “Drinking your feelings, Sam?” It was the angel Balthazar that was standing in the doorway that lead to the library. “I thought that was your brother’s bag.”

Sam looked down at the glass he was holding and back to the angel. He shrugged his shoulders at the behavior that was out of character for him. “Stressful times.” He muttered as he took a sip of his drink like he intended to before being interrupted.

“Well, we need to talk.” Balthazar said. The younger Winchester raised his brow slightly as he watched the angel walked forward into the room. It seemed an angel like Balthazar had a different side to show after parting ways with Sam and his brother last night after not discussing a word about how he felt about participating in this situation. Sam asked why the both of them needed to talk. “Because—I know I’m gonna live to regret this, but…I happen to like Y/N. More than you and your brother. She’s not someone you meet everyday. It would be awfully tragic for something to happen to her under circumstances like these. I decided that I’m officially on your team. You bastards.”

It felt a little too good to be true when Balthazar showed up out of nowhere, claiming he wanted to be on the winning side of this fight and help the common folk. Sam remained friendly as he could with the angel as Dean put his distance with Balthazar, not wanting to deal with another dick with wings. Dean stood in the kitchen with his arms crossed over his chest as he suspicious eyed the angel, trying to figure out the real reason why he would risk his life to do them a favor. Sam sat on the edge of the desk just a feet away as Balthazar stood in the middle of the kitchen while he told the boys why they should let him on their team.

“And we should believe you why?” Dean questioned the angel in a blunt tone.

“Would you believe I had a shred of decency?” Balthazar answered the hunter’s question with another. Sam didn’t seem to think such highly of the angel when he responded with a no. The angel looked at the younger man with a slightly saddened expression, Sam man didn’t change his opinion on the matter. “Oh, that hurts…But, okay. You’re right. It’s survival. You see, I asked Cas some questions and I disliked his answers. He seems sure of himself for a man who wants to swallow a million nuclear reactors. I mean, these things can get a bit Chernobyl, you know? So, volia. Consider me your double agent. Oh, and I took the liberty of searching for your friends. Uh, took a while. Crowley’s a clever one.“

Dean’s expression dropped when he heard the news slip out from the angel’s mouth that might have been possibly the best thing he heard since all of this mess started. "You found Y/N?” Dean asked, the first thing he could think about was you. However he tried his hardest not to get his hopes up as he swallowed. “Did you have any luck with Lisa and Ben, too?”

“The upside is, yes. The downside is no, I can’t get them for you.” Balthazar told the brothers the bittersweet news he gathered during his absence away. The younger Winchester asked why he couldn’t. “Because Crowley angel-proofed the whole bloody building. I guess he doesn’t trust Cas. It seems that marriage is going swimmingly.”

“Okay, well,” Dean looked over at his brother. He shrugged his shoulders slightly, figuring if Crowley was dumb enough to keep the three of you in the same building, unlike what he was told from their phone conversation, this might be easier than they originally planned. “Get us close as you can.”

“Sure.” Balthazar agreed. “But then you’re on your own.”

The Winchesters weren’t strangers to facing an amount of demons that left them at as the outnumbered party. They were prepared for whatever Crowley tried to throw their way in order to rescue you and the Braden family alive. However adding another member to the team would be helpful, as they were always used to working with a third member, but they would handle the situation with just the two of them. The boys thought it was just going to be them trying to solve this problem while Bobby was away chasing down another lead. They weren’t expecting tonight was a knock on the front door, even right after the plan they were discussing.

Considering the circumstances over the past few days, it didn’t come as such a shock when they saw Josh standing on the porch. Unlike last night, the man wasn’t here to confess more about the mess he helped create. Instead he wanted to fix it before it could grow worse. Josh stood with his hands in his pockets and a guilty, but serious expression on his face when the brothers answered the door. He waited a moment if either one of them were going to slam the door or punch him in his face. The boys didn’t. They wondered what he could possibly want.

“Look, you have every right to be pissed off at me and slam the door in my face. But before you do, let me start off by apologizing.” Josh spoke up first. He took his hands out of his pockets and raised his arms to show the boys he came in peace. Neither one of them changed their blank expressions as they listened to what the man had to say. “I’ve been thinking about this situation again and again…And you’re right. I don’t know what’s good for Y/N. Hell, I don’t know anything about this crap. I just wanted to help her. I didn’t mean to drag all of you into this mess.“

Josh wasn’t sure what he should have expected when he tried to ask for forgiveness from the two men that were your best friends, too. They were the people who knew the real you. Much as he wanted to get to know the different side of you, there was still so much more to learn. The Winchesters didn’t say much of anything. He swallowed slightly as he continued on. “If there’s anything I can do to make this situation better, I’ll do it. I swear. Just let me help.”

Dean considered the offer for a moment as he eyed the man for a moment. “Y/N mentioned that your dad was apart of the Marines, right?”

“Yeah. Half of my family’s war veterans. My great grandfather fought in the first world war, grandfather in the second and my dad in the Vietnam war. I’m not a stranger to a gun, if that’s what you really want to know.” Josh said, having a slight hint to what the older Winchester might be asking. "My dad got me one when I was ten. Learned how to shoot in my backyard. Mom was pissed. And I also learned pretty quickly how to throw a punch. My dad’s friends were all ex-Marines. They had a few sons that followed in their footsteps. A few of them liked to try and kick my ass. You learn how to defend yourself.”

Sam felt a little hesitant about all of this when he figured out what his brother was trying to do. He thought about the idea of having another pair of hands as backup with them. Josh might not have experience like they had, but he did come from a family with rich military background. But he wasn’t convinced just yet. "You know how to conduct an exorcism?”

“Forwards and backwards. All fifty words are burned in the back of my brain. Thanks to Y/N. Along with how to properly draw a devil’s trap and throw a gnarly right hook. Also,” Josh pulled down the collar of his shirt he was wearing to reveal a familiar looking tattoo on his chest. It was the anti-possession symbol. “She convinced me to get one…after last time.”

Dean let out a sigh as he took a step backwards and opened up the door wider for Josh. Before the man could take one step inside, he pointed his finger at the man. “I’m gonna warn you now, you screw this up—even the slightest—and I’ll kill you myself. Got it?” Dean warned the man. He stared at the older Winchester and nodded his head. Dean rolled his eyes. “All right. Get your ass in here. We still got a lot to cover.”

\+ + +

The fight was always stacked against their favor but the Winchesters felt confident about this one with another player on their team. Josh had proven himself useful in more just his book intelligence when he properly loaded up a gun Dean handed him as his first test. He managed to load the chamber into the gun in record timing and took a few tries to get back into the routine of what it was like to shoot off a gun before taking down every target Dean set up for the man outside when he dedicated a few minutes to see what Josh was capable of. The man also recited the exorcism spell in perfect Latin as he shot off each round to prove himself.

It was still a risk bringing him along, but Josh promised that he would stay out of the way and keep a low profile. Whatever they needed him for, he would do it. If he learned anything from his father about the Marines, it was that you never leave a fellow brother behind. The boys packed up everything they would need and armed Josh with a flask, a shotgun full of rocksalt and a few other necessities one might need on this fight ahead. Balthazar kept his promise by helping the brothers and Josh into getting to the outskirts of the location, the rest would be up to them.

Josh was feeling nervous—the kind where he felt a little lightheaded, but yet, at the same time, he was thrilled at the chance of redeeming himself. He could finally undo all the things that he wrongfully did that landed all of you here. He settled with the idea that if he got you back alive then it meant his grandparents would be good as dead. Josh mentally prepared himself for that outcome if this were to backfire in his face. They were older and had experienced life. He knew once his grandmother passed away his grandfather would be next to go. Josh had a feeling they had settled with the idea that their time on earth was nearing an end. But you had so much more to offer to this world and the darkness that lurked in the shadows.

The three men weren’t sure what to except from the hideout Crowley was using to stash away you and the Braden family. All they knew that every floor of this place was bound to be crawling with demons, Dean counted one in particular would be there as well. He was hoping she would be there. Balthazar managed to get the men from Bobby’s kitchen and to the alley behind the abandoned warehouse building in the matter of seconds. Josh tried his hardest to hide his sheer amazement at how everything changed around him. The feeling didn’t last very long when he spotted the eerie looking building just ahead. He swallowed slightly as fear crept up on him.

“Alright, boys, this is where I get off.” Balthazar said. “God be with you and what have you.”

Balthazar parted ways with the Winchesters and their friend after giving them some encouraging words of advice for whatever that was waiting for them inside. Josh mentally prepared himself for the trouble that was about to unfold as he adjusted the shotgun he was instructed to carry and only shoot at the people who were charging after him with black eyes. The boys were ready for their first obstacle when they heard through the silence and quiet rain of a door opening not too far away from where they stood. Dean made sure to give Josh a warning to stay quiet and behind them, but also cautious for what he might need to do if duty calls.

The demon that made this mistake of stepping out from the building helped the Winchesters out in knowing there was a way of slipping into the building without much trouble. While they still had to figure out how many demons were still inside, they focused on taking the first one down and heading inside to see how bad it was. As the demon made his way down the ramp to inspect the alley outside, he didn’t notice a stranger coming up from behind until it was too late. Dean took his opportunity when the son of a bitch faced him, and without hesitance, shoved the knife right into his stomach. Dean grabbed ahold of the dead body that started to slump forward and balanced him on the iron railing where, down below, Sam and Josh worked together in disposing the body onto the ground with a quiet thud.

Josh stepped back from the dead body he just witnessed get stabbed to death by a knife that he knew not only killed the demon, but the man he was possessing as well. Dean wiped the blade clean off on his jeans and was about to head inside. However he found himself looking down below at Josh to see how he was handling witnessing his first murder. The man stared at the body with almost a blank expression o n his face. “Look, we got a lot of ground to cover—”

"I’m not squeamish. I’ve been around dead bodies before. This is nothing compared to how my parents’ bodies looked after the car accident. And my grandfather had his leg blown off in the second war. Told me all sorts of stories and showed me pictures—awful things that makes this look like a walk in the park. I’m not a coward.” Josh defend himself with whatever sort of judgement the older Winchester was thinking. He looked up at the man and gave him a serious expression. “Like you said, there’s a lot of ground to cover. Let’s go.”

Dean didn’t miss a beat when he figured that Josh might have the stomach for this kind of stuff, after all. His brother and Josh followed behind when he made his way to the entrance. Sam opened the door the demon had came out from and took a quick sweep of the surroundings before slipping himself inside, Dean going in after as Josh followed behind, making sure to close the door quietly behind him to keep the element of surprise. The three men wandered inside to see they didn’t have many options of where to go next. Josh noticed there was a path leading forward and another that took someone down a right hall. The rest of the building was fenced in, leaving him trapped. But it wasn’t like he wanted to skip out. He was here because he wanted to make sure you were all right. No demon was going to stand in his way.

“All right,” Dean decided which way he was going as he took a step forward to the right. Before he departed ways, he looked at his brother and to Josh. He nodded his head at the other man for what he was about to embark on. “Be careful.”

Josh watched as the older Winchester began on his own journey down the hall. Before he could watch him disappear from his sight, he turned his attention over to Sam, who directed for him to follow behind as the both of them went down the hall that look like it had been abandoned for a decade. For a moment, as Josh wandered down the empty warehouse halls, he felt like he was in a horror movie. He looked over his shoulder each time he swore he heard something off. But he reminded himself that he needed to stay focused. This wasn’t the time to be afraid of every little noise that was probably just the wind. It was a stormy and rather cold night, a perfect setting for what he was witnessing unfold in front of his very eyes.

Josh continued walking through the building with Sam, feeling like the both of them worked quite well as a team from the way they maneuvered together cautiously down the empty halls. Both of them had each other’s backs if a demon tried to pull a stunt. Josh channeled all those war stories his father and grandfather used to tell him about combat. He pretended that he was one of them. He might not grown up like a soldier like the Winchesters, but he had it in his blood. He remembered the important rule his grandfather drilled in his head about relationships.

The bond you share with your brothers was stronger than an army full of soldiers coming after you. His grandfather proudly admitted to taking down ten Nazis with a buddy of his all on their own. He said it was all about strategy, patience and the element of surprise when you pull the trigger and land a bullet in Nazi scums’ brains. His army friend had time to develop a strategy with his grandfather, the both of them could communicate without even speaking a word. Josh and Sam didn’t have that bond quite yet. And while the both of them had remained cautious, even the best soldier can get jumped by the enemy.

Sam was the one who stopped dead in his tracks for a moment when he heard something like a metal pipe falling in the near distance. Both men pointed their guns in the direction of where the heard the noise come from. Neither one of them made a move as they scanned the area in the dim lighting of what they had, wondering if they could spot a stranger in the distance, guessing it might have been a demon who made that noise. Unless it was some kind of animal that might have accidentally knocked down a rusty pipe or something.

Josh slowly took a step forward to try and see if he could make out might have been the one. He looked best as he could for only a few seconds before letting out a faint sigh, presuming that it was just some sort of animal. Josh turned around to face the younger Winchester to shake his head. Only he noticed someone jumping down from the piping above, a perfect spot he would have never guessed to inspect for people to hide. Josh opened his mouth to warn Sam about the demon that was about to attack him. He quickly aimed his gun to shoot him, but it was too late for the both of them. Josh felt a sudden pain rush through his head, all before his sight turned into darkness.

\+ + +

You didn’t know how long you’ve been stuck in this chair, handcuffed with a throbbing hand from what she did to you. You couldn’t describe what the feeling was like. It was like you were missing something every time you wiggled your fingers. You tried to examine the wound best as you could, but your right eye was nearly swollen shut from how hard one of those demons punched you to keep you quiet when you started asking too many question about where Lisa and Ben were. He told you to worry about yourself than that bitch and brat. Trouble was coming your way. And it came in the form of the black eyed bitch that cut off your damn finger.

Everyone always wondered what it would be like to see an exact carbon copy of themselves. You were one of the lucky ones that had friends who liked to make sure that every single detail was right. She might have looked like you, but you knew the soul in her body was the rotten side you had tried so hard to wash away. You did everything in your power to hold her down and keep her hidden from the light and put her back where she belonged. You wanted nothing more than to be human. And while it took a few trips to hell, selling your soul to a demon and losing a friendship with an angel to get you to this point. You suddenly regretted everything you wanted.

She was the reason why you were in this position, handcuffed to a metal chair with your ass feeling like it had fallen asleep and legs turned numb while every breath you tried to inhale felt like your lungs were being punctured. That might have been due to the fact that she made sure to crack a rib or two after brutally beaten you while she went on about the story of how she kidnapped Lisa and Ben. She reminisced about how she got under Dean’s skin when he grabbed your finger from her pocket. The smile of amusement that crossed her face when she told him about how you wanted to get married to him. And that little story she made up—something about you being pregnant. She laughed and said, “You had to be there. It was hilarious.”

It was your natural instinct to tell her to go screw herself where the sun didn’t shine and pretend that what she was doing to you didn’t hurt. But this was different from being tortured in hell. You couldn’t slip away from the pain. She made sure you felt every punch and kick whenever you tried to threaten her. You should have learned your lesson when you told her that you were going to kill her. She responded with a smile and a quiet chuckle at how hard you were trying to remain strong. Only she was the one who had the power here, and she made sure to show you how strong she really was.

While you recovered from a punch to the stomach that knocked out the wind from your lungs, she pulled out a set of keys from her pocket, freeing your left hand from the cuffs. You had little time to realize what she was doing to fight back. She grabbed your arm, and with both of her hands wrapped around the limb, she snapped it like a turkey bone, causing a nasty breaking sound to echo through the room and a pain you hadn’t felt in a long time. A scream of pain from the unexpected attack escaped your throat, giving her the reaction she wanted. She wanted nothing more than to see you in pain, for you to understand she was the one in charge here.

She watched as you attempted to brush off the pain like it was nothing, but she could see the tears forming in your eyes as you tried to inhale deep breaths, trying to ignore the broken ribs to care for your arm. She crouched down so she was at your level with her hands wrapped around the armrest of where your right arm remained. She bent over slightly to make sure you heard her. “Don’t make promises you can’t keep, Y/N. You don’t want me to break your other one, now do you? ‘Cause this party’s just getting started.”

You winced in pain when you felt her lightly pat your bruised cheek as she chuckled to herself before pushing herself back up to her feet. You tried your hardest to ignore the different aches and pain rushing through your body as you shut your eyes for a moment as a pair of footsteps entered the room. She left you alone to figure out why one of the demons that were supposed to be doing their job of keeping an eye out for unwanted trespassers. You could only hear the sound of hushed whispers among the two. And while he sounded slightly nervous, you could see the smile on her face when she let out a quiet chuckle.

“Let ‘em have his little fun.“ She whispered to the other demon, making sure her voice was loud enough for you to overhear. “I already have a backup planned setup. Ain’t nobody making it out of here alive, that’s for damn sure.”

\+ + +

Josh wouldn’t consider himself a very claustrophobic person. He handled tight spaces well like the rest of the human population. But he wasn’t sure how to handle the kind of circumstances he woke up to with a throbbing pain in the back of his head, reminding him quickly what had lead him to this. He woke up face down on the ground, the concrete underneath him cushioned by what felt to be wet leaves that started to soak through his clothes. Josh tried his hardest to sit up straight, but considering his height, he banged his head on top of the ceiling of his what felt to be confinements, making his headache grow even worse.

Josh couldn’t see much of anything except for a slit of light coming from a crack on the floor. He felt around at his surroundings to see he didn’t have much room, just a foot to move his feet and only a few inches above his head to lay. Josh managed to move himself slightly so he was now lying on his back. He tried to keep himself calm as he tried to feel around for something that felt like a door—something that those demons used to put him in here.

His first instinct was to feel around at where the light was coming from. He felt metal against his skin, but no sort of handle to show that it was a door. Josh swallowed as he lightly banged on the metal door, wondering how tough it was. Perhaps he could try and kick it down. Most of this place was rusty and falling apart. He gave the metal a good knock, admitting an echo through the air. Josh suddenly regretted his move when he suddenly heard the sounds of what might have been footsteps as the light began to shift, signaling there was someone outside. He quieted his breathing as he waited for his punishment to come…

“Josh?”

“Sam?” Josh expected a lot of things to happen tonight, but he found himself thrown through a loop when he heard the younger Winchester’s voice coming from just outside. He wondered for a moment if he had been captured, too. “Are you okay?”

Josh gotten his answer when he was told to back away best as he could for what was about to happen next. He wasn’t sure what it was, but the sound of a gun going off made him nearly jump right out of his skin. Josh heard the sounds of shuffling feet and a metal hitting the ground. A few seconds later he was blinded by the dull light that entered the small confinements that he had woken up in just a few minutes prior. Josh adjusted his eyes to see that it was Sam with an arm outstretched for him to take a gun in the other. He didn’t question why as he got himself out of the coffin like space and back up to his feet.

The first thing Josh noticed was how his clothes stuck to his body from the wet grounds. But he felt the discomfort become overshadowed when he saw Dean with a woman he had never seen before and a kid that looked to be no older than twelve. This must have been Lisa and Ben he heard. He winched slightly when he saw Lisa lying in Dean’s arms, a blood stain in her stomach. He was afraid to ask what happened, so he focused on the task of trying to figure out where you were in the small crowd of people. Josh looked everywhere, but you were not to be seen.

“Where’s Y/N?” Josh asked, ignoring the fact there was an unconscious woman in Dean’s arms that appeared like she needed medical attention. He didn’t think about that. All he could wonder was where the hell you were. He looked at the brothers and asked again, “Where the hell is she?”

"We don’t know. She’s still in here somewhere. But Lisa needs to get to a hospital. Sam, take her.” Dean instructed for his brother to carry the woman as he handed her off gently as he could so he couldn’t cause her more pain than he already inflicted. “Josh, go with them. Find them a ride and get the hell out of here.”

“No.” Josh shot down the idea. Dean didn’t hesitate to give him a threatening glare when he tried to change his plans. “I’m going with you.”

Dean was too on edge to disagree with the plan. He rolled his eyes and grunted in agreement. There was still hope that all of this could be fixed if Sam bolted out of here with the Braden family. He looked down at Ben, who was still holding the shotgun, remaining brave, even after all the circumstances he had been through. Dean stepped forward and placed a hand on the young man’s shoulder and gave it a tight squeeze.

“Everything’s gonna be fine. I promise. Sam’s gonna make sure you and your mom get out of here.” Dean reassured Ben. He tried his hardest to put on a smile, even though in the back of his mind there was still someone that he cared about in here. “I’ll be back soon as I can.”

Ben was too young to understand what was going on and the circumstances that were happening. His expression was hurt when he realized that Dean wasn’t coming with them, but he took a page of the Winchester book, he swallowed down his emotions and nodded his head. He knew that no matter what happened his mother would always be second best. Nobody would ever matter much as stupid Y/N did. Ben remembered what he said back when he tried to get him and his mom back in the same room again.

“Sometimes dead is better. And if Y/N was dead, maybe you could stay.” Ben still felt the same way about the situation. But he didn’t dare breathe a word about this. He followed behind Sam when the both of them started to make their journey out of the building and to the hospital after finding a car. What he was most worried about was making sure that his mom was all right.

Dean felt guilty for abandoning Ben and his brother at a time like this. But there was still another person he cared and loved deeply in this building. And there was nobody that was going to stand in his way, not even that bitch. Josh and Dean had never really seen eye to eye before on a lot of things. They fought on a few occasions and already claimed to do the right thing in your honor. This time, when it really mattered the most, the both of them pushed their personal differences aside for the common good of getting you out of here alive.

Oddly enough, the two men worked quite well together as a team as they both took down the remaining amount of demons that were still crawling around here while they scoured the entire building for some sort of trace to point them in the direction of where you were. But there wasn’t much to go on. Dean was starting to lose hope that Balthazar was right about you being here. It seemed like Crowley might not have been bluffing about making this harder than he thought. As he started to lose hope, he heard the softest noise coming from down the hall he and Josh were occupying after taking down a few demons. Both of them figured it wouldn’t hurt to investigate.

You were alone once again after she drifted off somewhere else for a short while. It was a relief and yet a curse. Before she left you alone she made sure to handcuff your arm back up, acting like she hadn’t snapped the bone in half like it was nothing. You had no way of escaping if you wanted to. Every part of you ached. The idea of moving made you feel sick to your stomach, or maybe that was the dehydration you felt along with the hunger pains from being neglected of the things you needed to survive. You sniffled as you involuntarily inhaled yet another breath.

Part of you wanted to give into the urge of crying from the pain that you were in from your throbbing head and jaw, all the way down to your legs that you couldn’t feel anymore. What really made you feel the worst was your missing finger, the one she mercilessly cut off and paraded around like it was some kind of toy. It was gone forever. You knew if you ever made it out of here alive, if there was a chance that the boys figured out where you and the Braden family were, you were never going to be the same. You let out a sigh as you shut the one eye that you could, feeling defeated at how all of this was turning out.

Right as you were about to give up on all of this, life always had a funny way of improving before it could get worse. You felt someone ever so lightly touch your shoulder, breaking you out of the thoughts that were clouding your mind. You slowly opened up your eyes to see a face that you thought that you might never see again. The ends of your lips stretched into a smile as you opened your mouth to speak Dean’s name, but the action made you wince in pain, the bruising around your jaw was too much at once. He felt overwhelmed with happiness at the sight of you. But you could see the horror in his eyes when he inspected the damage that was done.

“What the actual hell?” You were greeted by another voice that you weren’t expecting to hear. It was of a face that part of you didn’t want to ever see again. Because he was partially the reason why you were here in the first place. But Josh Carver was a man nobody couldn’t stay mad at for too long. His intentions were pure, and like you and the Winchesters, he made a mistake he was trying his hardest to fix. He reached a hand inside his pocket and gave you a small smile. You could see that he was trying his hardest to remain calm, even though he knew deep down Josh was blaming all of this on himself. “Hey, it’s gonna be okay. We got you.”

“Two handsome men to my rescue. What a sight to see.” You couldn’t move your jaw all that well, but you managed to speak without moving your mouth too much. Never in a million years would you have expected to see Josh and Dean in the same room without wanting to rip each other’s throats out. Now the both of them worked together to get your hands free from the cuffs that kept you restrained. You looked around the room best as you could, trying to hide the pain when you moved. “Guys, she’s—”

“We know. But we gotta get you out of here first. Hey, help her—” Dean instructed for Josh to try and help you up to your feet by balancing one side and him with the other. He touched your left arm in attempting to do so. But all he managed to do when he touched you made a muffled cry of pain escape you as he flinched slightly, swearing he felt something hard and slightly sharp poke him through the fabric of your jacket.

Dean refrained himself from swearing when he realized what it might have been, a broken bone that pierced the skin. He noticed that you could move your right arm when you cradled a fist into your palm and attempted to stay quiet. Dean nodded for Josh to take your good arm and wrap it around his shoulder. Josh attempted to do so as he bent down slightly to get a good grip around your waist to balance your weight on his own. But even touching that area caused you even more immense pain from the look that crossed your face.

“It hurts.” You couldn’t help yourself but whine at the excruciating pain you felt from the slightest pressure put on your rib cage. There wasn’t an ounce of self control in you anymore when you felt hot tears starting to roll down your cheeks, feeling like you couldn’t take much of this. “Dean, I can’t—”

“Hey, hey. Sweetheart—look at me.” Dean cut you off before you could claim that you couldn’t go any further. He crouched down at your level and forced you to stare at him directly in the eye. “It hurts. I know it does. But we gotta get you out of here and to a hospital. And the only we can do that is if you get yourself up to your feet. That’s all you gotta do. Okay?”

Every fiber of you wanted nothing more than to have one of them whack you against your skull so they could just carry you out of here. But you reminded yourself that you’ve been through worst pain before. You inhaled a deep breath and nodded your head, showing Dean that you could do this. You looked over at Josh and extended your right arm so you could let him attempt to help carry you again. It took a few tries before you managed to get yourself up to a standing position after you managed to get the feeling in your legs back again.

You sucked down every sort of curse word and insult at the tip of your tongue at how much pain you were putting yourself through. The three of you managed to make it all the way across the room with no sort of trouble. The possibility of escape without much trouble crossed your mind. You wondered if she ran off when things started to get tense. Whatever sort of tricks she had up her sleeves were no match for the Winchesters. However the wishful thinking wasn’t the case when you saw the bitch appear out of thin air, blocking the one exit that you needed to get the hell out of here. Dean stopped dead in his tracks when he saw the demon with those black eyes and a smirk he wanted to punch right off her face.

“Leaving so soon, boys? But you just got here.” She said. Her tone of voice mocked a saddened one when she realized what you were trying to do. “Y/N and I were starting to have fun. You should really join us.”

Dean pretended to think for a moment about the idea of sticking around in this mold infested place and being tortured by the demon who put all of this elaborate plan together. She raised her brow slightly as she crossed her arms over her chest. The hunter took it as an opportunity to take his chance. You watched as Dean lunged forward with the knife in attempt to take down the demon once and for all. But you should have known she would have seen that coming.

It all happened so fast. You felt Josh’s grip around your body disappeared and replaced by the brutal force of concrete against your backside when she pinned you against the wall. You withered in pain at how the act not only knocked the air out of your lungs, but sped up your heartbeat, making breathing even worse. You forced yourself to manage the pain as you slowly opened your eyes to see what was going on. You spotted the demon knife was just a few feet from your reach. but Dean was nowhere to be seen. Your eyes darted around the room until you spotted him and Josh just across the room, her back turned to you. You could just see the smile on her face when she let out a sigh and placed her hands on her hips.

“This is nice, isn’t it? All of us together in one room. I’d apologize for the obstacles I put you boys through to get you here, but you can’t be too safe these days. There’s a lot of psychos just wanting to hurt people. “ She said, the remark causing a smile to spread at the ends of her lips. The two men didn’t find it amusing as she had. The demon peered down at the two men for a moment as she began wondering what she could do. "Too bad Sammy’s not here. It would make my life a lot easier. I mean, I got a laundry list of people I need to check off. Starting with you three chuckle heads.”

Dean tried his hardest to somehow break free from the hold she had on him and Josh. But he knew it was no use. He was like a fly trapped in a spider’s web, watching as the black widow crept closer to him with all intentions of eating him alive. “Get in line, princess.” Dean said. “You ain’t—”

"I’m the only one that matters. 'Cause after I get with you three I’m going straight after Sammy, then your little slut and her bastard child. And that’s just the beginning, baby.” She said. She cuff off the Winchester from speaking by squeezing her fist to stop the air supply from his lungs. She watched him struggle as she continued talking. “Then when all of you are out of my way, I’m going after the big dogs. Crowley and Castiel will never see it coming. They’re too worried about finding Purgatory to watch their backs.”

You swallowed slightly as you watched her movements. She was too focused on hearing herself talk, she didn’t notice when you started to slowly inch yourself over to the knife. Much as it caused you pain to move, it was the only option you had left. "Those idiots think if they can get away with what they did to me, they’ve got another thing coming. Those souls are mine. I worked my ass off for them. And I had to be trapped with that thing for decades. Three freaking decades with her behind the wheel and ruin everything I’ve always wanted.”

You pressed your back against the wall when you watched her look over her shoulder to give you a look of disgust before turning her attention back over the two men. "Being trapped in your own body? It’s worse than hell. But thanks to you idiots, I’m free. And I’m not gonna stand back and watch those idiots ruin the one thing Lucifer promised me. If Raphael wants a rematch, fine. I’ll kick his ass. I’ll show this world how it was supposed to be. I’ll be the new bloody Devil—”

There was one thing that you and the demon side of yourself had in common and it was control. The both of you always wanted to have whatever you were up against in your favor. You couldn’t tell how many times you tried to solve a problem by taking it on as your own and ignoring help from others. It was how you landed yourself in this situation in the first place. She was exactly everything you hated about yourself—controlling, vicious, power hungry, always wanting things she couldn’t have. And it seemed fitting that it was you who plunged the knife into her back, taking her by complete and total surprise. Because if there was one thing you loved about yourself, it was defying people’s expectations.

You stood behind her with a smirk of your own on your lips when you looked down to see the blade was peaking out of her stomach. For a moment you forgot about the pain as you enjoyed this victory. The moment you had been waiting for since you learned about how your mother sold her soul to have a child, about being a half demon and fighting constantly to be yourself. You ripped the knife out and watched as she still stood there, shock crossing her face from what you did. Blood began to slowly trickle out of her wound, but she made no effort to stop it.

“The only person who’s dying tonight is you.” You hissed at her. “Say hi to Lucifer in hell for me, you bitch. ‘Cause that’s where you’re going.”

You finished what you started by shoving the knife into her heart, watching as the woman who looked like you—but carried everything you hated about yourself—stared at you with a scared expression from what you did. It was her turn to feel the torture and the agonizing pain. You stepped back and watched as she fell to the ground, the expression forever frozen on her face.

Silence fell between the three of you as all of you stared at the dead body that laid on the floor. You heard the sound of your own shallow breathing and your heartbeat pounding in your ears. Slowly, you moved your gaze away from the body and to Dean, who seemed even more surprised at what had unfolded. You found yourself suddenly overwhelmed with the urge to cry. It wasn’t because you were sad, it was the quite opposite. You wanted to cry out of relief because you were happy. You were overwhelmed with what you had accomplished all on your own.

"It’s over.” You whispered so quietly, you barely heard yourself. You let out a faint laugh, slowly, it grew into a glorious laughter that made your ribs hurt even more. You didn’t care. Everything you ever wanted—everything you ever fought for—was here. “Oh my God. It’s…”

You wanted to finish what you were saying, but you found yourself suddenly stopping when you felt the pain becoming overwhelming and the ability to breathe becoming harder. The two men were up on their feet when they saw your eyelids suddenly growing heavier as you started to wobble around. Before you could hit the ground, Josh managed to grab you as Dean fetched the demon knife. Both of them didn’t waste a second in getting out of here, leaving the body of the demon that you had killed behind.

\+ + +

Dean felt like his heart was about to pound out of his chest and fall right out onto the backseat floor. It took every ounce of his willpower to keep himself from snapping at the man behind the wheel who was responsible for getting the three of you to the hospital in one piece. And in the small time frame they had. They didn’t know the extent of your injuries and how much blood you lost over the past day and a half. Dean concentrated himself on talking to you in a calm voice. Josh said that you might be suffering from a concussion from the dried blood he spotted on the back of your head. (And mentioned the fact that one of Crowley’s goons hit you with a baseball bat. Dean doubted it was the only time from the scab and more dried blood he spotted on the corner of your forehead.)

The worst thing for someone who was suffering from a concussion was to let them fall asleep. In this line of business of hunting, it was a regular occurrence the enemy liked to used. So Dean sat in the backseat with you cradled in his arms in the best position he could find without hurting you and told you that everything was going to be just fine. He could feel you still moving slightly underneath him in his embrace as you took in shallow breaths and you moved every so often, mumbling about how much pain you were in. Dean softly shushed and consoled you, offering promises that all of you were almost at the hospital. It wouldn’t be too much longer before you were in good hands, high out of your mind on painkillers. You just had to hang in there for a little while longer.

You tried your hardest to concentrate on the sound of Dean’s voice as he kept talking to you as the car kept moving forward at a dangerous speed and each bump that Josh drove over made your body jolt with pain, causing you to jump awake. But things started to calm down when the road smoothed out, leaving the ride to feel like the nights you would spend lying in the backseat of the Impala, The rumble of the engine and the sound of rain hitting against the roof. It was a lullaby you grew to be comforted by when you adopted the hunting lifestyle as your own. And in that moment you realize how tired you were. It felt like you hadn’t slept your entire life. You felt like you could finally shut your eyes and feel some sort of relief…stability that the future was your own to make.

You slept every night like a normal person from your usual four hours you managed to snag, of if you were lucky, you pushed it to six on days you didn’t have a case to try and get rid of the dark circles that formed. But this tiredness you felt was different from anything you had dealt with before. It felt like you had spent your entire life awake, consciously thinking about your life around you. You spent your entire life thinking that you had a normal childhood and you had whatever darkness inside of you under control. But you realized that you didn’t. Every moment you made from birth until this moment was calculated for someone else’s benefit. Your mother’s, Lucifer, Crowley…All of your effort was to keep yourself awake and concentrated on doing your part. And making sure that the demon inside of you was under control.

The demon side that was created by the Devil himself in retaliation to God was gone. She would be forever stuck in the fiery pits of hell surrounded by her own kind that tried to ruin your life and her creator. All of them were stuck with no way out. You showed the monsters that haunted and ruined your life that you were stronger than them. You were human…and you were free to do whatever you wanted. You knew hunting was your true calling. While you wouldn’t change that for the world, you felt a sudden ache in your chest, a longing for something you didn’t realize you wanted until now.

“Come on. Stay with me, honey.” Dean noticed that you were starting to shut your eyes again as your head began to slightly sag down to your chest. He lightly shook your shoulder, causing you to jolt awake when a rush of pain went through your entire body, which promptly made another complaint of pain come from you. Dean let out a sigh of relief to hear you were talking. “I know, I know. But you gotta stay awake, sweetheart.”

You tried your hardest to concentrate on the sound of Dean’s voice, but you couldn’t fight the urge anymore. You found yourself embracing the way the car ride felt soothing and the patter of the rain. How you wanted to go to sleep just for five minutes. That’s all you wanted to do. And when you got the hospital you would be wide awake and ready to get yourself the proper care you needed. And when all of this was over—your injuries, taking down Crowley and snapping Cas back to his senses, all of you were going on vacation. Somewhere nice, somewhere warm and far away from everything that reminded you of monsters. You wanted to go somewhere you could bury your toes in the white sand and swim in the bluest oceans you ever seen.

“I wanna go to the beach.“ You muttered your first words after coming back around after passing out back at the abandoned building. Dean could see in the darkness that you were trying your hardest to keep yourself awake. Your brow furrowed as you concentrated on speaking properly so he could understand you. "I’ve never been to the beach…”

“We can go to the beach. Hell, we talked about doing that. You remember, sweetheart?” Dean asked you. He forced himself to smile at the memory while his vision began to grow blurry as his mind began to dwell. It was taking every fiber of his being not to think about the worst outcome if he was too late. He began to think about the talk you and him had about going somewhere like that. It was when the problem you and him were dealing with was the demon deal that sent the apocalypse rolling into motion. And the both of you discovered your feelings for one another. “We can go, I promise. But you gotta keep your eyes open for me. We’re almost there…”

You had been trying so hard to listen to the sound of Dean’s voice and his pleads for you to stick around. But you couldn’t do it anymore. You slowly felt your eyelids grow heavier as your vision began to grow black. You drifted off to a place where there was no pain or suffering. When you needed to be woken up, you would. But not right now. Now you needed to sleep.

\+ + +

“You’re almost there…Get it, baby!”

You reached up your hand to block out the afternoon sun from your face and used the other to adjust the sunglasses on your face to watch as your boyfriend spiked down the volleyball before he could let his little brother win this round. You felt your cheeks beginning to hurt from the smile that never left your lips as Dean threw his hand up in victory. You let out a cheerful yell as you clapped for him in victory at the win for him as Jess booed at her husband from the loss. But you knew it was all in good fun when she greeted Sam with a quick kiss on the lips as he dropped his large frame down onto the beach towel when they decided to call it quits on the game.

You turned your gaze to the man who sat beside you and wrapped an arm around your waist, pulling you closer to his side. You gave him a smile when you felt his fingers making patterns into your naked skin that was exposed from the bikini you were wearing. For a moment all you could focus was how amazing today was going. You listened to the sound of the waves crashing against the shore and the warm sand between your newly pedicured toes you gotten done with Jess during a girl’s day trip into town before you departed on your trip.

Dean muttered quietly for only you to hear about how beautiful you looked today before leaning over and pressing his lips against yours to give you a quick peck. You placed a hand on his chest and leaned forward for another kiss, almost forgetting for a moment that you were here on vacation with two other people. Your nose crinkled slightly as you quietly giggled against Dean’s lips when you heard someone loudly clear their throat.

“And here I thought we were gonna be the obnoxious newly weds.” Jess spoke to her husband, shaking her head in amusement from seeing you and Dean break apart from being caught in the act. You licked your lips and sat up straight while the older Winchester continued to lay down on the towel and propped up his upper half by resting his weight on his elbows.

“Oh, trust me. You two are. It makes me sick. I mean, look at this ring!” You reached out and grabbed Jess’ left hand when you saw her ring sparking in the sun before she could hide it away in embarrassment. Jess wasn’t the type of girl who displayed the things her husband gave her. You were the one who help orchestrate everything from picking out the ring with Sam when the couple talked about taking their relationship to the next step to Jess’ wedding dress for their big day. You had been there every step of the way. However you didn’t have a clue the younger Winchester upgraded his wife’s wedding ring by adding a diamond or two more. “My, my. You did this all on your own Winchester, didn’t you?”

“I did. I wanted it to be a surprise. Unlike the engagement…” Sam trailed off as he looked over at you when he brought up an occasion that you accidentally ruined. You and Jess talked about and did everything almost together. The both of you became best friends when Sam came home during winter break from college to introduce his girlfriend to the family. She was sweet and the perfect woman for Sam to spend the rest of his life with. It was almost near impossible to keep a secret for too long. You were the one who spoiled the entire night Sam had planned out to pop the question to Jess. But all of it worked out in the end. As you gawked at his wife’s rings, he found himself asking a question that had been unanswered for too long. “So, when are you and Dean gonna have children?”

You stiffened slightly at the question every woman dreaded to hear at this point in their life. You were thirty and had almost everything you wanted. A career, a house, two best friends and a man you knew you were going to spend the rest of your life with. But what was missing was a ring on your finger like Jess’ and a kid. You were suddenly happy you were wearing sunglasses when your eyes moved over to Dean to see what his reaction would be. He shrugged his shoulders and didn’t think too much about it. He didn’t seem opposed to the idea, but it didn’t seem like he would be taking you back to the hotel and getting started on the plan.

“Don’t know.” Dean admitted. “I just like things between me and Y/N right now.”

“Right now is the perfect time to start a family. You’ve got that big, empty house to fill. And you can’t say money’s a problem. You just opened a fifth garage this month with Dad and Y/N works for one of the biggest newspapers in the country. Mom wants to know what she can do with her time after retiring. I got her preoccupied with the wedding. Now it’s your turn to do your civil duty.” Sam said. Dean rolled his eyes at the slight pressure put on him by his little brother about something like this. “Mom, Dad and Uncle Bobby aren’t gonna be around forever. They want grandkids to spoil the crap out of. All I’m saying is that we’re all surprised neither one of you decided to at least tie the knot. I mean, you’ve been at each other’s side since Y/N was born…”

Sam was right about one thing. You and Dean had been attached at the hip since you were first brought into this world. You grew up with the Winchesters living right across from the street and spent every single day with them. You always had a subtle crush on the oldest Winchester that blossomed into an endless love for the man for long as you could remember. While you had hinted around the idea of getting serious and taking your relationship to the next step, you knew it was all just talk in the end.

Dean wasn’t the traditionalist type of person. He dated a string of girls in high school and skipped out on his junior and senior prom because he thought it wasn’t his thing. He tried to tease you about getting all excited for your own prom when you were a junior and how you had avoided dating altogether. That’s when you sat him down just weeks before the prom and told him to shove it about what you liked. And why you didn’t date anyone. Because you had a crush on your best friend’s older brother. Dean was confused as to who you were talking about. You remembered rolling your eyes and using all the courage you had to kiss him to make him realize it was him that you were talking about.

It happened to be your first kiss and went exactly how you feared, short and sloppy. When you pulled away you felt embarrassment that you had never dealt with before. You suddenly lost all of that confidence and wanted to run away, thinking Dean was going to laugh at you. But when you saw him grow bashful and speechless, you knew he felt the same way about you. And from then on there Dean had been your first of everything. The both of you moved from your high school sweethearts to being in your thirties with a house you fought tooth and nail on (that he ended up growing to love) with the possibility of starting a new chapter in your life. You hoped that when you helped Sam get everything prepared with the engagement to Jess Dean would get the hint. So far you had no such luck.

“Hey, sweetheart.” Dean rubbed a hand down your back to get your attention. You hummed quietly and looked over at the man, wondering what he needed. “Could you get me a beer?”

You nodded your head and pushed yourself up to your knees to get a drink for him. You turned your back on Dean for a few seconds, giving him a chance to slip his hand to the beach bag you had packed this morning and Dean loaded in the car with something you hadn’t noticed. As you pulled out two beers and a water bottle for yourself, you sat back down and reached out an arm to hand Dean the bottle. Only you noticed your boyfriend was biting his bottom lip. You furrowed your brow slightly to see that he looked like he was trying his hardest not to laugh.

“What?” You asked. Your lips stretched into a smile as you wondered what was so amusing. You looked over at the other couple to see they were trying their hardest not to ruin the surprise that was about to come. Your face fell slightly as you suddenly became self conscious. “What’s so funny? Oh, God. Did my bikini get caught in my buttcrack again—”

Your question of a fashion disaster suddenly slipped out of your mind when you saw something hovering in your face. Something that you thought would never been seen by a man like Dean. You sank down onto the beach towel as you dropped the water bottle you were holding to the sand. What you saw in front of you was a small, velvet black box. You pushed your sunglasses up to your head and stared at Dean Winchester with a hopeful and pleading look in your eye that this was real. Dean’s smile on your face and how he slowly nodded his head told you yes. You felt your lips stretch into a wobbly smile as you tried your hardest to keep yourself calm.

"You know I’ve loved you ever since I could remember. And I knew I wanted to be with you since I was six years old. You were four when you beat the crap out of that Michael kid when he took my bike. God, you were something back then. And you still are to this day. That’s what I love about you. You’re a force to be reckoned with. You know what you want. And I think it’s about time I give you something. Y/N Y/L/N,” Dean moved into the proper position so he was now down on one knee in front of you. You inhaled a deep breath as you tried your hardest to remain calm. But you could feel the tears starting to form in your eyes from the sheer happiness. “Will you marry me?

Your mouth opened up as you saw the velvet box open up to reveal the very thing you had been waiting your entire life for. As your eyes moved away from the love of your life, your eyes widened at what you saw nestled inside the box. It wasn’t the diamond ring you had pictured in your head. What you saw was the things of nightmare. It was a severed bloody finger. You looked down at your own hand to see that you were missing your ring finger…and when you realized where it was, what came out of your mouth wasn’t a gasp. But a scream of horror.

\+ + +

"Page Dr. Kitt and get him to the ER immediately. And put this damn thing on ice before we lose it! Run like your life depends on it! And let’s get a blood transfusion going before she passes out again. What’s her blood type again, honey?”

You suddenly found yourself thrown back into reality as you woke up from the nightmare that you must of had. You squinted slightly when you tried to open your eyes, only to be bombarded by blinding florescent lights and too many things happening all at once. You heard all sorts of voices shouting around you and an obnoxious sound of a squeaky wheel. Ringing phones and a page coming above from the loudspeaker. You could tell you were lying on something soft like a bed, but you were being pushed. Were you finally at the hospital? You tried your hardest to sit up, but a hand lightly pinned your shoulder back down the gurney.

"It’s gonna be alright, sweetheart.” You heard Dean’s voice coming from somewhere. Suddenly you felt a hand embrace your own and squeezed the flesh, making you realize he was right by your side. Like how he had been this entire time. You shut your eyes again when everything around you began to become too much again as the pain kicked in. “Come on, stay with us.“

You felt Dean’s grip around your hand slip away when you were pushed deeper into the ER by the nurses that helped when they saw him carrying your unconscious body in. Dean was forced to watch as the medical staff got to work on treating the wounds they could see and figuring out what else was wrong with you. He felt the nervousness that had been nagging at him grow even more worse. Dean always like to be front and center. But now he was forced to sit back and watch as your life hang in the balance of things. He inhaled a deep breath in attempt to calm his worrying mind. However a distraction came through when he heard a commotion come outside.

Dean walked over to the double doors that lead to the waiting room just outside of the ER where he saw a nurse standing in front of a familiar face. She politely reminded the young man about the rules as he tried to explain that he was family. "Sir, I’m sorry. But—”

“He’s my brother. Let him through.” Dean’s voice cut off the nurse before she could give Sam the same speech that he heard earlier this evening. The nurse turned her head to look over at the very pissed off older gentleman, who appeared to be not in the mood for her questions of how all of you were related or the rules of the hospital. “You gonna keep gawking at me sister or are you gonna do your job and help my wife from not dying and losing her damn finger?!”

The nurse refrained herself from lashing out at the hostile behavior from Dean. She could tell from the look on his face that it was just a cover from how he was truly feeling—nervous and terrified. She stepped out of the way and apologized, keeping her gaze to the ground as she slipped away to attend to her other patients in the hospital. Sam didn’t say anything about his brother’s outburst or how about he was filled with relief to see him back in one piece. Because there was still the matter about you, the person he had been fearing about these past few days.

The brothers exchanged a look before the both of them stood behind a small crowd of people in lab coats and scrubs that surrounded around your bed they transferred you to from gurney you were brought in on. Sam noticed you were unconscious while you laid on the bed as the nurses scrambled around to do what they needed to save your life. One worked on preparing an IV as the other took a pair of medical scissors to start cutting up your jacket to assess the damage underneath. There was talk about x-rays and surgery, a possible concussion…blood loss…too many horrifying things to process all at once.

Sam found his attention lingering over to your left arm when he noticed that it was bent at an odd angle. He furrowed his brow when he also noticed a dried blood spot on the fabric. Before he could figure out what caused that, the nurse that helped Dean stepped out from the chaos and drew back the curtain, obstructing the Winchesters’ view on what was going on to you. Dean opened his mouth to figure out what the deal was. She stepped forward and put her hands up to stop the two men from stepping into a space where they didn’t belong.

“Mr. Kelly, we need you to step back and let the doctors take over. We don’t know the extent of your wife’s injuries.” The nurse who helped him through all of this kept the older Winchester from barging in where he didn’t belong. Sam noticed she was an older woman, but she seemed like the type of person who knew what she was doing. “We’re doing all we can to help her. Why don’t you and your brother grab a coffee from the cafeteria? You’re going to be here for a while. We’ll update you after we get her out of MRI and have some x-rays done. Also I’ll need you to fill out paperwork and insurance information. It’ll help pass the time.”

The nurse gave the two men a sympathetic smile at what they were going through and the lack of answers she could provide before slipping away. Sam was overcome with questions as to what happened, but he refrained from bringing up the touchy subject just yet. Dean placed a hand on his hip and used the other hand to wipe his mouth in a sort of nervous tick at what was unfolding all at once. He hadn’t yet even thought about Lisa and Ben. All he could think about what was happening behind the curtain and if you were going to be alright.

“You call Bobby yet?” Dean asked his brother, Sam nodded his head.

“The second after Lisa got situated.” Sam whispered. “He said he should be here soon.”

Dean nodded his head as he let out a breath from the stress that was piling itself on all at once. He decided that he needed that cup of coffee after all when he went off to find a nurse to point him in the direction of the cafeteria. Sam found himself standing in the same spot, unable to just walk away just yet. He kept staring at the curtain, wondering if you were going to be alright. You had been put in this situation of crossing the line between life and death so many times. Sam thought he should be used to it by now. But it only got worse with each tragedy that hit.

The thought of you not making it crossed his mind every so often while he waited for Dean to get back safely from the suicide mission of rescuing you after he found Lisa. He tried to ignore the insidious thought much as he could. But it still lingered in the back of his head, because he knew it was still a possibility. What would happen if you really didn’t survive this? He knew his brother would take it the hardest out of anyone. You and him were each other’s better halves. Dean had never let himself love someone much as he loved you.

Sure, the both of you butted heads and fought at times to the point where Sam might think you would never get back together. But you always found your way back to each other. You and him were each other’s better halves. It would crush Dean to lose that part of him. And Sam knew it was going to kill his brother when he got the update about Lisa.

While the pain would be hard for Dean to lose the love of his life, Sam knew it was going to be just as hard on him. He might lose his only best friend he ever knew. No matter what happened between the both of you, you were always there for him with open arms and treated him like a little brother you never had. You were his family, and nothing would ever change that. Sam wasn’t sure what he would do if he didn’t have you around anymore to help with research, teasing him about the dumbest things and calling Sasquatch. A nickname you came up about his ginormous height compared to yours. Sometimes he found himself finding it more annoying than funny when you called him that. Now he would do anything to hear your voice.

Sam almost lost you so many different times before, but it never got any easier. He always cautious that this really might be the last time.

\+ + +

An hour passed after you were admitted to the hospital and the Winchesters signed off on all the paperwork that needed to be done for the insurance they forged to go through. Still they hadn’t heard anything yet from the doctors and Dean still hadn’t asked about Lisa. While the boys sat around the empty cafeteria with their lukewarm coffee, neither one of them said anything. They sat in silence and thought about what could go wrong. During their time of reflection, Bobby had joined both of the brothers after he found out where they were.

The older hunter appeared exhausted from his trip that should have taken him all night, but he cut it short by going double the speed limit to get to the hospital after hearing what happened while he was away. Sam tried to fill in Bobby much as he could while he was away tracking his own lead, but the younger Winchester only knew so much. Josh wanted to desperately stay around, but thanks to ignoring his special deal with Crowley, he had a feeling his grandparents were on their way out. Sam promised to keep him updated. Dean was the one who really had all the answers to what went down, and his brother was too afraid just yet to ask.

Bobby offered another sympathetic smile to the older Winchester when he noticed how tried and beaten down he looked.But he didn’t refrain from asking questions that had been burning in the back of his mind. "What the hell happened back there? Is Y/N gonna be okay?”

Dean knew exactly what Bobby was hinting around without having to speak about the subject nobody liked speaking of. He dropped his voice to a whisper as his eyes wandered around the cafeteria to see if he could spot any eavesdroppers. But it was just the three of them. "No. Y/N, she…” Dean found himself for the first time in what felt like forever beginning to smile at the memory of what you did. “She took down that bitch. All on her own. You should’ve seen it. It was great.”

“Mr. Kelly?” Dean heard the fake name he put on the insurance card he handed over after Sam filled out all the paperwork being called out. He looked over his shoulder to see a doctor wearing scrubs and a white lab coat waiting for him with a chart. The doctor smile when he made eye contact with the man. He approached the three men to discuss the matters after keeping them for so long. “Good evening gentlemen, I’m Dr. Kitt. I’m going to be the one overlooking Y/N while she’s under our care. We’ve got the surgeon coming in the next hour to assess what we can do for her.”

“Surgeon?” Bobby asked. He sounded surprised at what he was hearing as he began to wonder how badly the extent of your injuries were that you needed to be operated on. The brothers shared an uneasy look from the piece of information they neglected to tell him. "Why in the hell is she gonna need surgery?”

“Mrs. Kelly had her finger cut off almost forty-eight hours ago. She’s lost quite a lot of blood and suffered serious injuries as well. I’ve got her going on a blood transfusion and taken the liberty of giving her a tetanus shot along with antibiotics to fight off whatever infection that might have come. Standard procedure during these kinds of situations.” Dr. Kitt explained. “I wanted to go over with you about what we’re currently dealing with.”

“How bad is it, doc?” Dean forced himself to ask the dreaded question.

“We’re looking at a concussion and blood loss. Bruising and swelling around the face and eyes. Along with her chest area. Uh,” Dr. Kitt glanced down at the clipboard he had been carrying to see what else they had found during their examination. “She suffered three broken ribs along with a clean break of the radius bone. Penetrated right through her skin. Along with a fractured ulna. We’re going to need to operate to place the bones back into place.”

“What about her finger?” Sam couldn’t help himself but wonder at what was bothering him and his brother the most of all. The one thing that the demon used as a cheap trick to amuse herself and warn the boys there would be more to come.

Dr. Kitt seemed a bit tense when the discussion of the amputated limb. "We’re in the process of preparing her for the surgery and accessing the damage. The odds of having it reattached look good. You see, we look specifically at the two types of nerves that are apart of the finger. There’s sensory nerves that let a person feel and motor nerves that tell the muscles to move. It might take months for them to grow back, but the odds are in her favor. But…you have to keep in mind she’ll never regain one hundred percent mobility of her finger. It’ll most likely be sixty to eighty percent. Which is still good.”

“Dr. Kitt to the operating room. Dr. Kitt to the operating room.”

The doctor let out a sigh when the loudspeaker rang out through the entire hospital, calling him back to where he needed to be. He gave the three men a smile and promised them everything was going to be fine before slipping away to get himself prepared for long night he had for him. Dean realized that you were going to be under the knife for probably the next several hours. And right then and there he realized that there was two people he hadn’t thought about since arriving to the hospital, the Braden family.

\+ + +

Memories are the only thing that people leave behind when they die. People try their hardest to remember the good times people had with the loved ones they lost, but Dean Winchester could only think about the harm he caused the Braden family over the past few years. It was more than they ever deserved. Ben had onced look up to the man that was like he was his father. Now the kid couldn’t even look at Dean in the eye from what he did to his mother. The danger that Dean tried so hard to stop was what pulled them apart and crushed his selfish fantasy of a normal life. Dean knew he really didn’t love Lisa like she deserved. And he would never be good father material to Ben. It was a tragedy just waiting to happen.

Lisa was in a coma, she slipped into one after Sam got her to the hospital fast as he could. But it didn’t matter how fast anybody was, she was doomed for this after the demon that possessed her stabbed her in the stomach as revenge for what Dean tried to do. Lisa was hooked up on life support with no chances of making it past midnight tonight. If she died it meant that Ben would be all on his own. He had an aunt not too far from where he lived that would take him in. But Dean couldn’t stomach that idea of doing that to the poor kid after what he was put through.

Ben was right about one thing. No matter how much Dean tried to protect and care for them, they were always going to be second to who really mattered in their lives. He abandoned Lisa to find you, he was making the choice to make sure he erased the memory of him from their minds so he could be with you. Ben would understand that family came first. And when he found someone he loved much as Dean loved you, maybe he would understand. Dean felt horrible for what he let Castiel do to them, brainwashing them against their will and planting a small lie. But this was for the best. Everyone needed to be with their family. Dean needed to be with you. And he could never do that with Lisa still in his life.

\+ + +

It was the late afternoon when you came out of surgery with success. You were transferred to your own private room they set up for you and promised the Winchesters and Bobby they could stick around while you came back around after the anesthesia wore off. Dean couldn’t keep his eyes off of you. He examined the bruises around your face and how your left arm was all bandaged up. It almost looked nonexistent from what they did. Then there was the tubes and all sorts of wiring that came out from nowhere to monitor your heartbeat and the morphine drip they had going to keep you from feeling the pain.

Dean thought you weren’t ever going to wake up from how much time passed and how still you were. But you did. He nearly jumped out of his skin when he saw your eyelids beginning to ever so slowly flutter before they cracked open slightly. You inhaled a deep breath best as you could and discovered a sight that was possibly the best thing you ever woke up to. Your family. The brothers jumped up to their feet as Bobby approached the bed when you smiled at them. You found your gaze lingering over to the younger Winchester first.

“Hi, Sasquatch.” You spoke up first, your voice coming out horse and dry from how long it had been since you had gotten anything to drink over the past few days.

"Hey, Shrimp.” Sam greeted you with the nickname he coined for you after you. You noticed that he looked awfully relieved and happy when you called him that, almost like he wanted you to. It was a moment before he said something again after he looked you over. “You look like hell.”

“Well, I’ve been there a few times. It’s all in a day’s work of kicking demon asses.” You said. You cracked a smile as you felt like you were on some kind of high from the drugs they had given you to block out the pain. You turned your attention over to a man you thought you might never be able to see again. Bobby Singer was like a father to all of you. And it killed him just as much to see what happened to you. “You look like hell yourself, Bobby. When’s the last time you got any sleep?”

“Too long, kid.” Bobby admitted. “It’s good to see you in one piece, kid.”

You looked down at your left arm when you heard him say that, wondering if he knew what had happened to you while he was gone. You noticed you were bandaged up to your elbow with a sling that cradled your arm. And your hand was wrapped up with so many different layers of gauze it was hard to feel anything. “Huh. I’m guessing they put that sucker back on, did they?”

“Thanks to modern medicine. You should be almost back to your normal self.” Dean said. He couldn’t help himself but find your lethargic attitude while you were working off the anesthesia adorable. You shrugged your shoulders as you leaned back in bed. He knew that he still had yet to discuss the matters of your recovery time. But he didn’t want to ruin it just yet. He wanted to enjoy the moment of a victory. “How are you feeling, sweetheart?”

“Honestly…I don’t think I’ve ever felt this good in my entire life.” You said. You knew you were going to be facing a long recovery time from the extent of your injuries. You didn’t need to hear it from the doctors or Dean that you weren’t going to have full mobility of your finger back again. You read about people who had surgeries on limbs they lost. Long as you had that sucker back on and move it slightly, that’s all that mattered. Your mind wandered away from yourself and two other people you remembered seeing only once. “How are Lisa and Ben? Are they okay?”

The room suddenly fell silent when they heard the mention of the Braden family. Your emotions shifted when you saw how guilty Dean looked at the thought of them. You were too afraid to ask if something happened to them. The older Winchester quietly asked his brother and Bobby if the both of you could have a moment alone. You suddenly found yourself becoming overwhelmed with the idea that Crowley had his goons hurt them…or worse, they were killed. Dean began to slowly approach your bed and reached out for you right hand, making sure to avoid the needle of the IV that was taped down on your skin. You quietly whispered the man’s name.

“Did something happen to them?” You asked again in a panicked tone.

“Lisa was possessed when I found her. The demon stabbed her in the stomach. She slipped into a coma.” Dean explained the details you missed out on. Your face dropped when you heard the troubling news as you felt your heart sink at the outcome of what happened. However it wasn’t the end of the story. “I…I know you gonna hate me for this. But—I didn’t know what else to do.”

“Dean,” You muttered the man’s name underneath your breath in slight fear. “Please don’t tell me you made a deal with Crowley…

“I talked to Cas. I had him wipe Lisa and Ben’s memory.“ Dean came out with the truth about what he really did. You might have been high out of your mind on painkillers, but the name you heard was worse than the king of hell who had orchestrated this entire plan for you to end up here in the hospital. Cas wasn’t someone you wanted to see, let alone hear his name. You stared at the older Winchester from what he did, reacting the same way Sam did. "What happened made me realize that this is gonna happen again if I keep them in my life. Some other son of a bitch is gonna come around and make me try and choose. And I’m done trying to pick what kind of life I want for myself.”

You furrowed your brow slightly from what he meant by that. “What do you mean?”

“I mean, I spent a year and a half trying to live a life that wasn’t meant for me with a family that I could never be apart of. I know hunting is always gonna be for me. And I know there’s also one woman in my life that I want to spend the rest of my life with. No matter how short or long it’s gonna be. And that’s you, sweetheart.” Dean said. Your expression softened when you realized this was one of those rare moments where he opened up his heart and showed his emotions to you. However this was much more than you bargained for. “I might not want a suburban life. And I might not be able to give you everything you want for a normal life. But there is one thing that I don’t really want to miss out on.”

You watched as Dean slipped a hand into his pocket and pulled out something you had almost all forgotten about since the last time you saw it. You kept it in the bottom of your duffel bag for safekeeping. Dean dug it out after having the terrible conversation with the demon. She had put a fear in him that he had never felt before. And that was missing out on an opportunity he didn’t realize he wanted until now. A silver chain dangled in front of your face, but it was the two rings that what was caught your attention. It was your mother’s engagement ring and your parents’ wedding rings. Your mouth parted open slightly as you wondered if he meant what you thought.

“You mean…” You found yourself almost lost for words. You suddenly remembered the dream you had while on the way here to the hospital. About how it ended with you seeing your severed finger. But that was also in a fantasy world where Sam was married to Jess. This was very much real life. And you had so much to look forward to.

“Y/N Y/L/N, you are the most complicated woman I’ve ever met. You’re a pain in my ass and you poke your nose where it doesn’t belong. You care too much for people and you’ve saved this family from going under way too many times. And I know I wouldn’t be the man I am today if you weren’t in my life.” Dean spoke from the bottom of his heart about how he felt about you. “You’re the most beautiful woman I’ve ever met and I love so much. And I want to show you. So…when all of this calms down. When you get back to your old self, I want to ask—I want to—”

“Dean Winchester, are you asking me to marry you?” You stopped the man from stuttering out the most important question every woman had had been wanting to hear your entire life. Dean let out a sigh and nodded his head. You bit your bottom lip to refrain from letting the tears fall just yet. You nodded your head to answer his question. The both of you shared your first kiss since being ruined back together. And while it was short and quick, it was nevertheless sweet. "You know, if you wanted to keep things traditional…who are you gonna ask for our blessing?”

“Who else do you think, idjits?” You and Dean suddenly turned your gaze over to the door when you heard a voice come from behind the corner, one that you didn’t expect. Your lips stretched into a smirk when you saw Bobby peek his head back into the room as Sam followed behind. The both of them were grinning like a pair of cheshire cats. So they heard every single word you had said. And from the looks of it, they weren’t the least bit surprised to see this happen. “About time if you ask me. You gotta hold onto any happiness you got. And you two are it.”

“I think I’m gonna be sick.“ Sam muttered, pretending to find all the romantic feelings a little too much for him to handle. Dean pocketed the necklace for safekeeping and headed over to his brother so he could lightly shove him. The both of them decided to get some coffee and water for you after you complained about being thirsty, leaving you and Bobby alone.

“I wish I could have been there to help.” Bobby muttered, suddenly feeling like he was partly responsible for how you ended up like this. Broken and bruised. You shrugged your shoulders and continued to act like everything was fine. “How are you really feeling, kid?”

“Human. And you have no idea how good it feels to say that.” You found yourself reflecting in the victory that you had. Everything about this felt so good. You suddenly found yourself on the verge of crying again. But this time, it was those happy tears again. You sniffled as you let out a quiet laugh. Bobby had know about your demon side long before the boys did. Bobby smiled, seeming relieved much as you were. But it wasn’t that he was happy to see that you weren’t a monster. But you got something you always wanted. And he never looked down on you about it. "You know, I never got the chance to thank you.”

Bobby furrowed his brow slightly, “What for?”

“For everything you’ve ever done for me. Through all of this you’ve never turned away or looked at me like I was kind of freak.“ You said. You didn’t know what happened, but all of a sudden you found yourself letting out small sobs before you were crying. You were never good at keeping yourself together. "I never realized I didn’t have a real family until now. Me and the boys would be lost without you. You’re like a father to me, Bobby. And I want you to know that. Okay? You’re the only parent who’s ever cared for me like you have.”

Bobby wasn’t the type of person who showed his emotions. He would rather bottle up all inside and hide it behind sarcasm and whiskey. And these past few years had been troubling times. He walked over to you and consoled you. He bent down and gave you a kiss on the forehead. The same way your mother used to when you were sad. But it didn’t feel like the way she did. It made you feel better. “And you’re like the daughter I always wanted.” He admitted. “You are worth fighting for. They’re ain’t nothing I wouldn’t do for you kids. Don’t forget that.”

You let out a shaky breath from the comforting words that you knew were true. You looked up at the man and gave him a smile to return the gesture. In that moment you realized how lucky you were. You had a man that loved you with every fiber of your being. A best friend that you would do anything for. And a father that might not be blood, but he was a better parent than you could ever ask for. But…you still found something missing from this. An urge that hadn’t disappeared from the last you thought about it while you were driving here. A longing for something you never had, you might never get. And while it should have slipped your mind, it wouldn’t.

\+ + +

You fell back asleep a little after six when the doctors and nurses checked up on you to see that everything was going well. You ate a little bit and got another dose of medicine to keep the pain away. You slowly came back around around three in the morning to see your room was awfully quiet. Your lips stretched into a faint smile when you saw Dean passed out cold on the cot one of the nurses provided and the other bed next to yours was occupied by Sam. Bobby was fast asleep in one of the arm chairs with his trucker hat tilted down on his head. You looked over to the corner of the hospital room to see a face that you thought you wouldn’t see ever again.

“Cas,” You spoke the angel’s name quiet as you could so you wouldn’t wake the boys and Bobby. “What are you doing here?”

“I came to see how you were doing.” He said. You scoffed and shook your head from his answer. You didn’t need to list off the injuries for him to know that you weren’t in the best shape. You watched as he began walking to your bed, taking cautious steps, as if he was afraid you were going to make him leave. You didn’t say anything. You let him approach you with that guilty look on his face. “I wanted to apologize for what sort of pain I caused you. This wasn’t my intentions. If I knew Crowley would do this…”

“I should hate you for what you did to me. I nearly died because you. I almost lost my finger.” You said. While your tone of voice was filled with anger, you really weren’t. You were tired. You were still holding onto that little thought you had. “The next time you see Crowley tell him he can suck it. He tried so hard to find Purgatory with that bitch. But I killed her. She’s gone. No thanks to you, I’m human. I win.”

Your lips stretched into a smile at your victory over him and the demon. But the happiness only lasted for a moment before you let out a sigh. “I should be happy. And I am. I’ve wanted this my entire life. But…you know what it’s like to pretend to be someone you not. You constantly living for the sake of someone else’s benefit. I never had freedom to live a normal life. I’ve always been forced into being a monster.” You didn’t know if it was the medication they gave you, or the grogginess that was making you slip your true feelings to the angel. Maybe he understood you, maybe not. “That’s all I want…To be someone else. Can you do that for me?”

Cas’ expression fell from what you were asking him to do. “Y/N…”

“I don’t care if you open up the door to purgatory. I really don’t. You won’t stop because you’re like the rest of us. Nothing’s gonna stand in your way.” You said. You let out a sigh and shut your eyes. “All I’m asking is for a little while, Cas. Please.”

If Cas was in his right mind, he would have just healed you of your wounds and went on his way. He would have stopped this game he was playing with Crowley and do the right thing. But the angel was too long gone. He thought if you were out of the picture the way you wanted, Bobby and the Winchesters would be out of his hair. The angel made a decision he would surely regret. Maybe not today, maybe not tomorrow. But down the line, when he was back to his old self, he would regret this. He walked over to you and with a simple touch of the forehead, in the matter of minutes, your wish would be granted.

\+ + +

Dean was the first one to wake up five minutes after a conversation he didn’t realize unfolded. He rubbed his tired eyes and sat himself up straight in bed. For a minute he enjoyed the silence that had been absent from his life over the past few days. Dean stared at your sleeping face and felt a smile spread across his lips. He thought about how cute you looked when you were asleep. He almost didn’t notice how the heart monitor spiked a few times or how your fingers started to twitch. He didn’t notice until it was too late to stop it.

They said you were fine. There was nothing to worry about.

Dean suddenly jumped up to his feet when he noticed that you were shaking a little too much. And your heart was skipping too many beats. In the matter of minutes the entire room was filled with nurses and doctors after he yelled for someone to help. This wasn’t supposed to happen. You were fine just a few hours ago…You were supposed to get married when you got better.

They said it was a heart attack. Possibly a blood clot they missed that traveled from one part of your body and is what caused you to have an attack like this. There was nothing nobody could do. They worked on you for long as they could until they called it quits. Dean could hear them from outside the hall he was forced into by the doctors and nurses. The boys and Bobby heard the words nobody ever wanted to hear.

“Okay. Time of death: 3:15 A.M.”

\+ + +

When a hunter dies, they don’t get the traditional burial like most folks. They get sent off with a different style. This was something the Winchesters and Bobby thought they would never have to do. A few days after your unexpected departure from the world, they got everything one might need to conduct a hunter’s funeral. You fought tooth and nail to be one, so it seemed fair to send you out that way. Dean felt like he was in a daze since that night. None of it was real. It couldn’t be. He just got you back…He thought he would at least have a few more years with you. Life was a cruel son of a bitch. Just when you think things are okay, they aren’t. He wanted so badly to ask Cas for a chance to bring you back. But he knew that you wouldn’t have wanted that.

He remembered the letter you gave him when you were trying to find a way to get Sam’s soul back from the cage. It was when things were still rocky and yet you had just gotten back together with him. You wrote him a letter for what to do if you hadn’t gotten out of Death’s clutches like you had hoped.

Dear, Dean

I’m writing this letter while you’re asleep next to me. (Which I have to say, I find you more attractive when your mouth isn’t moving a million miles a minute. Ha ha ha.) I’m still feeling tingly all over from the moment we shared together. I’ve waited so long for that. And I’m happy to say that I got the chance to say I love you one last time. Because if you’re reading this, it means that things went south and I failed at getting Sam’s soul back from the dead. And that’s okay.

I learned after coming back from the cage that I don’t have a safety net underneath my feet anymore. I’m human like you and Sammy. And I’ve wanted that my entire life. I know if things go south I’m not looking at the fiery pits of hell. But possibly a spot in heaven for us. And that’s not so bad when I have spent a few times in the cage. Please don’t be sad, and please don’t do anything stupid to bring be back from the dead. We’ll be ruined one day again, Dean. Just focus on getting brother back to normal.

Always remember: Que sera, sera. (What will be, will be.)

Love you with all my heart, Y/N.

The Winchesters wouldn’t realize until much later that Castiel was the one who had killed you while he accomplished his goal of opening the door to purgatory and eating all those souls. And they wouldn’t discover until an even later time that the body they burned wasn’t really yours. But the demon that you had killed. The one that looked exactly like you. Now, where was the real Y/N? Well, you were living a life that was almost like Heaven. Just for a little while….


End file.
